India vs South Africa, 1st Test: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal equal unwanted record in second innings

India's pursuit of a tricky target of 124 started in horrible fashion as openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal departed early. Marco Jansen removed both batters in an exceptional spell of new ball bowling, using his height and the uneven bounce of the pitch to great effect. Both the dismissals were products of outstanding fast bowling from the left-arm pacer.

 

Jaiswal got a delivery that straightened just a bit after pitching and he could do nothing expect edge it through to the keeper. Rahul got a trickier delivery that was more unplayable, bouncing awkwardly as it did from a good length and the result was another edge that was taken by the keeper Kyle Verreynne.

 

With their failures, Rahul (1) and Jaiswal (0) combined to create an unwanted record. It is the lowest aggregate in an innings by Indian openers in a home Test since 2010 when Virendra Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir combined for the exact number. It also extended Jaiswal's poor record against South Africa - the left-hander's highest score in six Test innings against them is only 28.

 

Earlier in the day, South Africa managed to stretch their total to 153 thanks to skipper Temba Bavuma's unbeaten fifty and a handy lower order contributions from Corbin Bosch. The duo added a priceless 44-run stand to ensure that the visitors had something to bowl at. As it turns out, this chase could be a lot tougher than India think and Jansen's early strikes have given the visitors lot of hope.

 

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