Virat Kohli was seen giving head massage to Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan during the final T-20 match against South Africa. The incident occurred in the last over of the first innings when India was batting as South Africa won the toss and chose to bowl. India did not have the expected start as the innings was summarised with a modest total of 172 runs. Virat is not in the playing XI as he suffered an injury in the last match. Rohit Sharma is leading the squad.

Dhawan lost his wicket after scoring 47 runs and it is expected that Virat might be cooling him down in the decider match as both the teams are eyeing to win the final T-20 to claim the trophy.

The three-match series is level at 1-1 after the Men in Blue won the first T20 in Johannesburg by 28 runs. &nbsp;The Proteas bounced back in Centurion with a six-wicket win.

Let&#39;s hope that the &#39;magical massage&#39; could help Dhawan so that he can perform well in the second innings in terms of fielding.

Injured, world's third fittest, captain Kohli never rests, as he was seen giving head massage to opener Shikhar Dhawan

Virat Kohli was seen giving head massage to Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan during the final T-20 match against South Africa. The incident occurred in the last over of the first innings when India was batting as South Africa won the toss and chose to bowl. India did not have the expected start as the innings was summarised with a modest total of 172 runs. Virat is not in the playing XI as he suffered an injury in the last match. Rohit Sharma is leading the squad. Dhawan lost his wicket after scoring 47 runs and it is expected that Virat might be cooling him down in the decider match as both the teams are eyeing to win the final T-20 to claim the trophy. The three-match series is level at 1-1 after the Men in Blue won the first T20 in Johannesburg by 28 runs. The Proteas bounced back in Centurion with a six-wicket win. Let's hope that the 'magical massage' could help Dhawan so that he can perform well in the second innings in terms of fielding.

Injured Virat Kohli gives head massage to Shikhar Dhawan during final T-20

South Africa beat India by six wickets in the second Twenty20 international at SuperSport Park on Wednesday.

For the second time in his short career, Heinrich Klaasen halted India&#39;s cricketing juggernaut.

Klaasen slammed seven sixes in hitting 69 off 30 balls as South Africa chased down a target of 189 with eight balls to spare.

South Africa were jolted early by India pacers and were reduced to 2/38 before Klaasen and Duminy put on a 93-run stand for the third wicket.

The win squared the three-match series, taking it to a decider in Cape Town on Saturday.

India

R. Sharma lbw b Dala 0 
S. Dhawan c Behardien b Duminy 24 
S. Raina lbw b Phehlukwayo 30 
V. Kohli c Klaasen b Dala 1 
M. Pandey not out 79 
M. Dhoni not out 52 
Extras (lb1, w1) 2 
Total (4 wkts, 20 overs) 188 
Did not bat: H. Pandya, B. Kumar, S. Thakur, J. Unadkat, Y. Chahal 
Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Sharma), 2-44 (Dhawan), 3-45 (Kohli), 4-90 (Raina) 
Bowling: Morris 4-1-42-0, Dala 4-1-28-2, Paterson 4-0-51-0, Duminy 2-0-13-1 (1w), Shamsi 2-0-24-0, Phehlukwayo 2-0-15-1, Smuts 2-0-15-0

South Africa

 
R. Hendricks c Pandya b Thakur 26 
J. Smuts c Raina b Unadkat 2 
J. Duminy not out 64 
H. Klaasen c Dhoni b Unadkat 69 
D. Miller c Thakur b Pandya 5 
F. Behardien not out 16 
Extras (lb2, w5) 7 
Total (4 wkts, 18.4 overs) 189 
Did not bat: A. Phehlukwayo, C. Morris, D. Paterson, J. Dala, T. Shamsi 
Fall of wickets: 1-24 (Smuts), 2-38 (Hendricks), 3-131 (Klaasen), 4-141 (Miller) 
Bowling: Kumar 3-0-19-0, Thakur 4-0-31-1 (1w), Unadkat 3.4-0-42-2 (2w), Pandya 4-0-31-1 (1w), Chahal 4-0-64-0 (1w)

Result: South Africa won by six wickets

Series: The three-match series is tied at 1-1

Man of the match: Heinrich Klaasen

Toss: South Africa

Umpires: Allahudien Paleker, Bongani Jele (both RSA)

TV umpire: Adrian Holdstock (RSA)

Match referee: Andy Pycroft (ZIM)

Chasing 189 for a win, South Africa were jolted early by India pacers and were reduced to 2/38 before Klaasen and Duminy put on a 93-run stand for the third wicket

South Africa beat India by six wickets in the second Twenty20 international at SuperSport Park on Wednesday. For the second time in his short career, Heinrich Klaasen halted India's cricketing juggernaut. Klaasen slammed seven sixes in hitting 69 off 30 balls as South Africa chased down a target of 189 with eight balls to spare. South Africa were jolted early by India pacers and were reduced to 2/38 before Klaasen and Duminy put on a 93-run stand for the third wicket. The win squared the three-match series, taking it to a decider in Cape Town on Saturday. India R. Sharma lbw b Dala 0 S. Dhawan c Behardien b Duminy 24 S. Raina lbw b Phehlukwayo 30 V. Kohli c Klaasen b Dala 1 M. Pandey not out 79 M. Dhoni not out 52 Extras (lb1, w1) 2 Total (4 wkts, 20 overs) 188 Did not bat: H. Pandya, B. Kumar, S. Thakur, J. Unadkat, Y. Chahal Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Sharma), 2-44 (Dhawan), 3-45 (Kohli), 4-90 (Raina) Bowling: Morris 4-1-42-0, Dala 4-1-28-2, Paterson 4-0-51-0, Duminy 2-0-13-1 (1w), Shamsi 2-0-24-0, Phehlukwayo 2-0-15-1, Smuts 2-0-15-0 South Africa R. Hendricks c Pandya b Thakur 26 J. Smuts c Raina b Unadkat 2 J. Duminy not out 64 H. Klaasen c Dhoni b Unadkat 69 D. Miller c Thakur b Pandya 5 F. Behardien not out 16 Extras (lb2, w5) 7 Total (4 wkts, 18.4 overs) 189 Did not bat: A. Phehlukwayo, C. Morris, D. Paterson, J. Dala, T. Shamsi Fall of wickets: 1-24 (Smuts), 2-38 (Hendricks), 3-131 (Klaasen), 4-141 (Miller) Bowling: Kumar 3-0-19-0, Thakur 4-0-31-1 (1w), Unadkat 3.4-0-42-2 (2w), Pandya 4-0-31-1 (1w), Chahal 4-0-64-0 (1w) Result: South Africa won by six wickets Series: The three-match series is tied at 1-1 Man of the match: Heinrich Klaasen Toss: South Africa Umpires: Allahudien Paleker, Bongani Jele (both RSA) TV umpire: Adrian Holdstock (RSA) Match referee: Andy Pycroft (ZIM)

India vs South Africa, 2nd T20I: South Africa beat India by six wickets, level series 1-1

&nbsp;

<meta charset="utf-8" />

This is a great time to be an Indian cricket fan. <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-virat-kohli-shardul-thakur-india-south-africa-6th-odi-team-india-indvssa-team-india-live-33105">After beating South Africa</a> in the sixth and final ODI at Centurion, India wrapped up a historic series victory by thumping the hosts 5-1. The manner of India&rsquo;s dominance and South Africa&rsquo;s abject capitulation has left countless cricket fans shocked.

Last night&rsquo;s ODI was a dead rubber. The series was already decided. And yet, people expected the home team to show fight in order to save some face. That was not to be as on a good batting surface, South Africa was bowled out for just 204 and then Team India brushed aside the target with eight wickets in hand and about 18 overs to spare.

Leading the charge was once again <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/best-batsman-in-the-world-now-says-ravi-shastri-for-virat-kohli-33154">captain Virat Kohli</a>, whose magnificent unbeaten 129 made a mockery of the small target. The Indian bowlers, too, were brilliant and young pacer Shradul Thakur&rsquo;s 4-52 helped to restrict the home side to a low score.

Prior to this series, South Africa was ranked the No.1 ODI side in the world. After having been thoroughly dismantled by India, they have slipped to the No.2 slot and given the way their team is looking at the present, things do not look very rosy for the Proteas.

India, meanwhile, will be thrilled. Their top order looks in great touch and their bowling, especially that of the spinners, has been regularly choking the opposition. Just to put things in perspective, the Indian bowlers have managed to clinch 51 wickets in the 6 ODIs as compared to just 23 by the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/virats-desperation-to-win-games-for-his-side-is-massive-33145">South African</a> bowlers.

The spinners, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, have captured 33 wickets among them and that speaks volumes of the control and dominance they had over the South African batsmen.

The hero of the series for India, apart from the bowlers, has been Virat Kohli. He has not just led from the front, he has been absolutely peerless in the way he has gone about scoring his runs and making a mockery of the South African bowling. In the 6 ODIs, Kohli has garnered a whopping 558 runs at an astounding average of 186 with 3 hundred and one fifty.

His sheer dominance has been phenomenal to witness and there is no denying that we are seeing a living legend blossom on the front of our eyes. In recent memory, no other batsman has single-handedly decimated an opposition so ruthlessly. Perhaps, Sachin&rsquo;s supremacy over Australia in the 1998 season comes close in mind.

Kohli now has 35 ODI hundreds and where exactly does he end up will be fascinating to watch.

While India will be celebrating this momentous series victory, they need to be wary of a few issues as well. Their middle-order needs some changes and flexibility and has clearly struggled to take the initiative when it mattered. They also need a capable finisher at the end stages as Hardik Pandya hasn&rsquo;t really excelled in that role as yet.

If India can sort this issue out then they can go on to dominate everywhere in the world, especially with the variety they now have in their bowling lineup.

For South Africa, it will be back to the drawing board. Clearly, their new set of young players has not been up to the mark and they are overly reliant on yesteryear stalwarts like AB de Villers, Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis to bail them out.

If South Africa hopes to regain their No.1 status and be a force in the 2019 World Cup, then the selectors and the team management need to take a long, hard look for the next generation of cricketers who can lead the team.

Cricket-wise, this ODI series was a dampener. The contest, save for the fourth ODI, was thoroughly one-sided and India cruised to victory in all their games. The fans surely would have expected a lot more fight and thrill as the No.1 and No.2 sides of the world went at loggerheads.

Regardless, team India has been really professional and clinical in their ways and can be proud of this historic achievement. Kudos to them for achieving this spectacular ODI series victory against South Africa on their own turf &ndash; it&rsquo;s a feat that no other visiting Indian team has achieved before.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

&nbsp;

The spinners, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, have captured 33 wickets among them and that speaks volumes of the control and dominance they had over the South African batsmen

This is a great time to be an Indian cricket fan. After beating South Africa in the sixth and final ODI at Centurion, India wrapped up a historic series victory by thumping the hosts 5-1. The manner of India’s dominance and South Africa’s abject capitulation has left countless cricket fans shocked. Last night’s ODI was a dead rubber. The series was already decided. And yet, people expected the home team to show fight in order to save some face. That was not to be as on a good batting surface, South Africa was bowled out for just 204 and then Team India brushed aside the target with eight wickets in hand and about 18 overs to spare. Leading the charge was once again captain Virat Kohli, whose magnificent unbeaten 129 made a mockery of the small target. The Indian bowlers, too, were brilliant and young pacer Shradul Thakur’s 4-52 helped to restrict the home side to a low score. Prior to this series, South Africa was ranked the No.1 ODI side in the world. After having been thoroughly dismantled by India, they have slipped to the No.2 slot and given the way their team is looking at the present, things do not look very rosy for the Proteas. India, meanwhile, will be thrilled. Their top order looks in great touch and their bowling, especially that of the spinners, has been regularly choking the opposition. Just to put things in perspective, the Indian bowlers have managed to clinch 51 wickets in the 6 ODIs as compared to just 23 by the South African bowlers. The spinners, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, have captured 33 wickets among them and that speaks volumes of the control and dominance they had over the South African batsmen. The hero of the series for India, apart from the bowlers, has been Virat Kohli. He has not just led from the front, he has been absolutely peerless in the way he has gone about scoring his runs and making a mockery of the South African bowling. In the 6 ODIs, Kohli has garnered a whopping 558 runs at an astounding average of 186 with 3 hundred and one fifty. His sheer dominance has been phenomenal to witness and there is no denying that we are seeing a living legend blossom on the front of our eyes. In recent memory, no other batsman has single-handedly decimated an opposition so ruthlessly. Perhaps, Sachin’s supremacy over Australia in the 1998 season comes close in mind. Kohli now has 35 ODI hundreds and where exactly does he end up will be fascinating to watch. While India will be celebrating this momentous series victory, they need to be wary of a few issues as well. Their middle-order needs some changes and flexibility and has clearly struggled to take the initiative when it mattered. They also need a capable finisher at the end stages as Hardik Pandya hasn’t really excelled in that role as yet. If India can sort this issue out then they can go on to dominate everywhere in the world, especially with the variety they now have in their bowling lineup. For South Africa, it will be back to the drawing board. Clearly, their new set of young players has not been up to the mark and they are overly reliant on yesteryear stalwarts like AB de Villers, Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis to bail them out. If South Africa hopes to regain their No.1 status and be a force in the 2019 World Cup, then the selectors and the team management need to take a long, hard look for the next generation of cricketers who can lead the team. Cricket-wise, this ODI series was a dampener. The contest, save for the fourth ODI, was thoroughly one-sided and India cruised to victory in all their games. The fans surely would have expected a lot more fight and thrill as the No.1 and No.2 sides of the world went at loggerheads. Regardless, team India has been really professional and clinical in their ways and can be proud of this historic achievement. Kudos to them for achieving this spectacular ODI series victory against South Africa on their own turf – it’s a feat that no other visiting Indian team has achieved before. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Magnificent Kohli was crucial in India's win over South Africa

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-virat-kohli-shardul-thakur-india-south-africa-6th-odi-team-india-indvssa-team-india-live-33105">India won the 6th ODI</a> as well as the series against South Africa at SuperSport Park, Centurion on Friday.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/virats-desperation-to-win-games-for-his-side-is-massive-33145">Indian team outplayed South African</a> side in all departments, fielding, batting and bowling.

Virat led team remained very calm and composed throughout the ODI series and perform brilliantly.

The credit goes to team management and support staff as well.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/in-pics-the-reasons-behind-indias-historic-victory-692">In pics: Reasons behind India&#39;s historic victory against South Africa</a>

Recently, Indian head coach Ravi Shastri praised Virat Kohli after winning the sixth and final ODI match against the Proteas.

He described Kohli as the &quot;best batsman in the world&quot; in a post-match&nbsp;interview.

He said, &quot;Well, I&#39;m the head coach of the Indian team and I see him batting like this and I&#39;ve seen him bat across all conditions, in all formats and it&#39;s not just averages, it&#39;s the way you get runs, when you get it and the impact those runs have on what the team does. I would safely say he&#39;s the best batsman in the world now.&quot;

Team India will forward to keep the winning momentum in the upcoming T20I series as well which will start from February 18th.

&nbsp;

Indian head coach Ravi Shastri praised Virat Kohli after winning the sixth and final ODI match against the Proteas and described Kohli as the best batsman in the world

India won the 6th ODI as well as the series against South Africa at SuperSport Park, Centurion on Friday. Indian team outplayed South African side in all departments, fielding, batting and bowling. Virat led team remained very calm and composed throughout the ODI series and perform brilliantly. The credit goes to team management and support staff as well. In pics: Reasons behind India's historic victory against South Africa Recently, Indian head coach Ravi Shastri praised Virat Kohli after winning the sixth and final ODI match against the Proteas. He described Kohli as the "best batsman in the world" in a post-match interview. He said, "Well, I'm the head coach of the Indian team and I see him batting like this and I've seen him bat across all conditions, in all formats and it's not just averages, it's the way you get runs, when you get it and the impact those runs have on what the team does. I would safely say he's the best batsman in the world now." Team India will forward to keep the winning momentum in the upcoming T20I series as well which will start from February 18th.

'Best batsman in the world now,' says Ravi Shastri for Virat Kohli

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/in-pics-the-reasons-behind-indias-historic-victory-692">India won the 6th ODI</a> as well as the series against South Africa at SuperSport Park, Centurion on Friday.

Virat Kohli slammed 35th century to lead the team to a historic win on the South African soil.

For his splendid performance throughout the series captain, Kohli awarded Man of the series and also Man of the match for an amazing knock in the final ODI.

A quite brilliant unbeaten <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/best-batsman-in-the-world-now-says-ravi-shastri-for-virat-kohli-33154">129 from skipper Virat Kohli</a> helped India cruise to an eight-wicket win.

But for South Africa captain Aiden Markram, leading his side for the first time in a series, it was a chastening experience - and he admitted that his players have plenty of learning to do ahead of the World Cup next year in England.

After losing the sixth and final ODI match he said in the post-match&nbsp;interview that the experience has been &#39;eye-opening&#39; he further added, &quot;The confidence of the side has definitely taken a knock, yes. It&#39;s never nice to lose 5-1 but we have learned lessons.&quot;

&quot;A lot of those lessons have been taught to us by how the Indians have constructed their games.&quot;

&quot;And then their bowlers, they control that middle period really well, they&#39;ve got two quality spinners and they strike up front with the new ball,&quot; South African skipper said while praising Indian bowling side.

He amplified the performance of Indian skipper <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/virat-kohli-gives-credit-to-wife-anushka-for-his-performance-33118">Virat Kohli</a> and said, &quot;Virat&#39;s desperation to win games for his side is massive and that&#39;s why he condones (conducts) himself like he does and it&#39;s all from a competitive point of view, it&#39;s nothing malicious.

So there&#39;s a lot of things I can learn from him, there&#39;s a lot of things I can learn from their team as a whole and there&#39;s a lot of things I can learn from us as a whole, the Proteas as a whole. So taking&nbsp;little pieces here and there, from various players is helping.&quot;

South Africa captain Aiden Markram admitted that his players have plenty of learning to do ahead of the World Cup next year in England

India won the 6th ODI as well as the series against South Africa at SuperSport Park, Centurion on Friday. Virat Kohli slammed 35th century to lead the team to a historic win on the South African soil. For his splendid performance throughout the series captain, Kohli awarded Man of the series and also Man of the match for an amazing knock in the final ODI. A quite brilliant unbeaten 129 from skipper Virat Kohli helped India cruise to an eight-wicket win. But for South Africa captain Aiden Markram, leading his side for the first time in a series, it was a chastening experience - and he admitted that his players have plenty of learning to do ahead of the World Cup next year in England. After losing the sixth and final ODI match he said in the post-match interview that the experience has been 'eye-opening' he further added, "The confidence of the side has definitely taken a knock, yes. It's never nice to lose 5-1 but we have learned lessons." "A lot of those lessons have been taught to us by how the Indians have constructed their games." "And then their bowlers, they control that middle period really well, they've got two quality spinners and they strike up front with the new ball," South African skipper said while praising Indian bowling side. He amplified the performance of Indian skipper Virat Kohli and said, "Virat's desperation to win games for his side is massive and that's why he condones (conducts) himself like he does and it's all from a competitive point of view, it's nothing malicious. So there's a lot of things I can learn from him, there's a lot of things I can learn from their team as a whole and there's a lot of things I can learn from us as a whole, the Proteas as a whole. So taking little pieces here and there, from various players is helping."

'Virat's desperation to win games for his side is massive,' says Aiden Markram

India today scripted history winning their first ever away series against South Africa across any formats winning the fifth ODI by 73 runs taking an unassailable lead of 4-1 in the six-match series.

India scored 274/7 riding on Rohit Sharma&#39;s 115 off 126 balls and then bowled out South Africa for 201 in 42.2 overs with Kuldeep Yadav getting 4 for 57.

Brief Scores: India 274/7 in 50 overs (Rohit Sharma 115, Virat Kohli 36, Lungi Ngidi 4/51) beat South Africa 201 in 42.2 overs (Hashim Amla 71, Kuldeep Yadav 4/57) by 73 runs. PTI KHS 14020007

This is India's first away series win against the Proteas

India today scripted history winning their first ever away series against South Africa across any formats winning the fifth ODI by 73 runs taking an unassailable lead of 4-1 in the six-match series. India scored 274/7 riding on Rohit Sharma's 115 off 126 balls and then bowled out South Africa for 201 in 42.2 overs with Kuldeep Yadav getting 4 for 57. Brief Scores: India 274/7 in 50 overs (Rohit Sharma 115, Virat Kohli 36, Lungi Ngidi 4/51) beat South Africa 201 in 42.2 overs (Hashim Amla 71, Kuldeep Yadav 4/57) by 73 runs. PTI KHS 14020007

5th ODI: India beat South Africa by 73 runs, win series 4-1

India is looking to avoid a series whitewash when they play against South Africa in the third and final Test at the Wanderers Stadium which will start&nbsp;from January 24.

The Indian batting line in both the previous matches suffered some serious damage. Although, Indian skipper Virat Kohli has hailed his bowlers, who have claimed 20 wickets in both Tests so far.

Recently, the team was criticised for taking a day out of practice session and planning a small trip to jungle safari instead of practice.

With such criticism going about, Virat&#39;s captaincy is currently&nbsp;under scrutiny. Many veteran&nbsp;cricketers have raised questions on Virat&#39;s decisions and team selection.

Even veteran cricketers are raising questions commenting on the team selection and game strategies.

Former Indian team captain Sunil Gavaskar also expressed his views on the performance of Parthiv Patel, who replaced wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddiman Saha.

He said that MS Dhoni&#39;s advice in the dressing room would have been invaluable.

&quot;I would have actually liked him to maybe give up captaincy and still stay in the team as wicketkeeper-batsman,&quot; Gavaskar said.

The&nbsp;third and final Test is definitely a Litmus Test for team India and men in blue is training hard to salvage the pride.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
WHACK! Out of the ground this one from <a href="https://twitter.com/ImRo45?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ImRo45</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamIndia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TeamIndia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvIND</a> <a href="https://t.co/Bk3euApHG9">pic.twitter.com/Bk3euApHG9</a>
&mdash; BCCI (@BCCI) <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/955381274453204992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Alert! Slip cordon at it this moment <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamIndia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TeamIndia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvIND</a> <a href="https://t.co/jWXAB3Jhf6">pic.twitter.com/jWXAB3Jhf6</a>
&mdash; BCCI (@BCCI) <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/955357364387016706?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

India has a decent record&nbsp;at the Wanderers pitch they have yet to be beaten in Tests there, with a win and three draws going back to 1992/93.

Cheteshwar Pujara made 153 in the second innings of the 2013/14 match and India will be seeking an improvement from their number three batsman, who has made only 49 runs in four innings, including being run out in both innings in Centurion.

Ajinkya Rahane, who did not play in the first two Tests, had a lengthy net at the weekend and could be recalled on the strength of a strong record in overseas Tests.

Dinesh Karthik was flown in as a replacement for injured wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha and could play at the expense of Parthiv Patel, who had a poor game with the gloves in Centurion.

With their formidable fast bowling attack, coupled with more resolute batting and better fielding in the first two Tests, South Africa will again start favourites although they will be wary of a potential Indian backlash. Rain could interfere with play on as many as four days.

Squad: (TBC)

South Africa: Faf du Plessis (captain), Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Quinton de Kock (wkt), Vernon Philander, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel, Lungi Ngidi.

India: Virat Kohli (captain), Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik (wkt), Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.

&nbsp;

India has a decent record at the Wanderers pitch they have yet to be beaten in Tests there, with a win and three draws going back to 1992/93

India is looking to avoid a series whitewash when they play against South Africa in the third and final Test at the Wanderers Stadium which will start from January 24. The Indian batting line in both the previous matches suffered some serious damage. Although, Indian skipper Virat Kohli has hailed his bowlers, who have claimed 20 wickets in both Tests so far. Recently, the team was criticised for taking a day out of practice session and planning a small trip to jungle safari instead of practice. With such criticism going about, Virat's captaincy is currently under scrutiny. Many veteran cricketers have raised questions on Virat's decisions and team selection. Even veteran cricketers are raising questions commenting on the team selection and game strategies. Former Indian team captain Sunil Gavaskar also expressed his views on the performance of Parthiv Patel, who replaced wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddiman Saha. He said that MS Dhoni's advice in the dressing room would have been invaluable. "I would have actually liked him to maybe give up captaincy and still stay in the team as wicketkeeper-batsman," Gavaskar said. The third and final Test is definitely a Litmus Test for team India and men in blue is training hard to salvage the pride. WHACK! Out of the ground this one from @ImRo45 #TeamIndia #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/Bk3euApHG9 — BCCI (@BCCI) January 22, 2018 × Alert! Slip cordon at it this moment #TeamIndia #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/jWXAB3Jhf6 — BCCI (@BCCI) January 22, 2018 × India has a decent record at the Wanderers pitch they have yet to be beaten in Tests there, with a win and three draws going back to 1992/93. Cheteshwar Pujara made 153 in the second innings of the 2013/14 match and India will be seeking an improvement from their number three batsman, who has made only 49 runs in four innings, including being run out in both innings in Centurion. Ajinkya Rahane, who did not play in the first two Tests, had a lengthy net at the weekend and could be recalled on the strength of a strong record in overseas Tests. Dinesh Karthik was flown in as a replacement for injured wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha and could play at the expense of Parthiv Patel, who had a poor game with the gloves in Centurion. With their formidable fast bowling attack, coupled with more resolute batting and better fielding in the first two Tests, South Africa will again start favourites although they will be wary of a potential Indian backlash. Rain could interfere with play on as many as four days. Squad: (TBC) South Africa: Faf du Plessis (captain), Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Quinton de Kock (wkt), Vernon Philander, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel, Lungi Ngidi. India: Virat Kohli (captain), Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik (wkt), Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.

India vs South Africa 3rd Test: India look to salvage pride

Indian bowlers continued their stellar show as Jasprit Bumrah restricted South Africa&#39;s lead to a bare minimum with his maiden five-wicket haul, keeping the visitors in the contest after an engaging second day&#39;s play in the third and final cricket Test.&nbsp;

In reply to India&#39;s 187, South Africa didn&#39;t fare any better being all-out for 194 in 65.5 overs with their lead being an insignificant seven runs. The Indian top-order showed more application as they were 49 for 1 at stumps with an overall lead of 42 runs.

Murali Vijay (13 batting, 49 balls) was in the company of KL Rahul (16 batting, 38 balls). The team management wanted to shield Rahul from the new ball bowlers by sending Parthiv Patel (16) to open the innings but the plan didn&#39;t work as he quickly removed by Vernon Philander.

Rahul-Vijay left the ball well and showed more patience than the first innings as they batted out 12 overs.

They added 32 runs for the second wicket, running judiciously between the wickets and hitting 3 boundaries together.

On a pitch that is offering extensive lateral movement, a target of 175 could prove to be a match-winning for India.

Playing only his third Test match, Bumrah polished the lower-middle order with figures of 5 for 54 in 18.5 overs ably complemented by Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3/44 in 19 overs).

While Bumrah&#39;s maximum victims were at the rear of the Proteas innings, Bhuvneshwar inflicted the early damage including a beautiful indipper that knocked back AB de Villiers&#39; (5) middle-stump.

Hashim Amla (61, 121 balls) batted with grit and determination and was given good support by nightwatchman Kagiso Rabada (30) during the first session when they had added 64 runs for the third wicket.

This was after Bhuvneshwar had removed Dean Elgar with a beauty, a delivery that pitched on the leg-middle, induced him to go for a drive and got an edge.

However, Amla got good support from Rabada, who frustrated the Indian bowlers for a good 114 minutes during the first session of the day.

Amla also added 44 runs for the seventh wicket with Vernon Philander (35), who unleashed a flurry of strokes as the home team crossed the 150-run mark in the 56th over.

Amla then gifted his wicket away, flicking straight to Hardik Pandya at deep square leg off Bumrah in the 60th over much to Indian team&#39;s delight.

It was the least threatening delivery that the batsman had faced in his grinding 121-ball knock.

Philander though continued his attacking ways and in all, he hit five boundaries during his 55-ball stay. He was next to go, out caught pulling Mohammed Shami (1/46) as Bumrah completed a running catch in the deep.

Andile Phehlukwayo (9) and Morne Morkel (9*) pushed the score past India&#39;s 187-marker before Bumrah wrapped things up in the 66th over.

He trapped Phehlukwayo leg before off a full toss and two balls later Lungi Ngidi (0) was caught behind as Parthiv Patel completed a fine diving catch to his left.

Bumrah had previously struck twice in the middle session as South Africa reached 143 for 6 at tea.

Post lunch, India made a hectic start to the second session as Ishant Sharma (1/33) had a loud appeal for lbw against De Villiers (5) turned down on the very fourth ball. The visitors didn&rsquo;t opt for DRS, which the replays showed to be a mistake with &#39;three reds&#39;.

South Africa crossed 100 in the 40th over but lost another wicket quickly as Bumrah bowled Faf du Plessis (8), out shouldering arms to an off-cutter.

In between though, Amla got another two lbw reprieves to go with the one in morning session.

First, in the 35th over, he was (on 33) was deemed not out off Bhuvneshwar even as the ball seemed to be clipping the leg stump. The decision stayed in his favour on umpire&#39;s call.

In the 41st over then, Amla (then on 41) was adjudged lbw off Kumar once again. But the batsman referred DRS and the ball was missing off-stump, so he got another life.

He used this to hold the South African innings together and scored his 37th Test half-century off 98 balls.

Amla added 18 runs with Quinton de Kock (8) who had a couple flashy boundaries to his credit. He was soon caught behind off Bumrah as South Africa were reduced to 125/6.

India&#39;s fight-back though was cut short as Philander added 18 runs with Amla until tea.

This was after nightwatchman Kagiso Rabada (30 runs, 84 balls, 6 fours) played out 114 minutes of the morning session as South Africa had reached 81/3 at lunch.

On a pitch that is offering extensive lateral movement, a target of 175 could prove to be a match-winning for India.

Indian bowlers continued their stellar show as Jasprit Bumrah restricted South Africa's lead to a bare minimum with his maiden five-wicket haul, keeping the visitors in the contest after an engaging second day's play in the third and final cricket Test. In reply to India's 187, South Africa didn't fare any better being all-out for 194 in 65.5 overs with their lead being an insignificant seven runs. The Indian top-order showed more application as they were 49 for 1 at stumps with an overall lead of 42 runs. Murali Vijay (13 batting, 49 balls) was in the company of KL Rahul (16 batting, 38 balls). The team management wanted to shield Rahul from the new ball bowlers by sending Parthiv Patel (16) to open the innings but the plan didn't work as he quickly removed by Vernon Philander. Rahul-Vijay left the ball well and showed more patience than the first innings as they batted out 12 overs. They added 32 runs for the second wicket, running judiciously between the wickets and hitting 3 boundaries together. On a pitch that is offering extensive lateral movement, a target of 175 could prove to be a match-winning for India. Playing only his third Test match, Bumrah polished the lower-middle order with figures of 5 for 54 in 18.5 overs ably complemented by Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3/44 in 19 overs). While Bumrah's maximum victims were at the rear of the Proteas innings, Bhuvneshwar inflicted the early damage including a beautiful indipper that knocked back AB de Villiers' (5) middle-stump. Hashim Amla (61, 121 balls) batted with grit and determination and was given good support by nightwatchman Kagiso Rabada (30) during the first session when they had added 64 runs for the third wicket. This was after Bhuvneshwar had removed Dean Elgar with a beauty, a delivery that pitched on the leg-middle, induced him to go for a drive and got an edge. However, Amla got good support from Rabada, who frustrated the Indian bowlers for a good 114 minutes during the first session of the day. Amla also added 44 runs for the seventh wicket with Vernon Philander (35), who unleashed a flurry of strokes as the home team crossed the 150-run mark in the 56th over. Amla then gifted his wicket away, flicking straight to Hardik Pandya at deep square leg off Bumrah in the 60th over much to Indian team's delight. It was the least threatening delivery that the batsman had faced in his grinding 121-ball knock. Philander though continued his attacking ways and in all, he hit five boundaries during his 55-ball stay. He was next to go, out caught pulling Mohammed Shami (1/46) as Bumrah completed a running catch in the deep. Andile Phehlukwayo (9) and Morne Morkel (9*) pushed the score past India's 187-marker before Bumrah wrapped things up in the 66th over. He trapped Phehlukwayo leg before off a full toss and two balls later Lungi Ngidi (0) was caught behind as Parthiv Patel completed a fine diving catch to his left. Bumrah had previously struck twice in the middle session as South Africa reached 143 for 6 at tea. Post lunch, India made a hectic start to the second session as Ishant Sharma (1/33) had a loud appeal for lbw against De Villiers (5) turned down on the very fourth ball. The visitors didn’t opt for DRS, which the replays showed to be a mistake with 'three reds'. South Africa crossed 100 in the 40th over but lost another wicket quickly as Bumrah bowled Faf du Plessis (8), out shouldering arms to an off-cutter. In between though, Amla got another two lbw reprieves to go with the one in morning session. First, in the 35th over, he was (on 33) was deemed not out off Bhuvneshwar even as the ball seemed to be clipping the leg stump. The decision stayed in his favour on umpire's call. In the 41st over then, Amla (then on 41) was adjudged lbw off Kumar once again. But the batsman referred DRS and the ball was missing off-stump, so he got another life. He used this to hold the South African innings together and scored his 37th Test half-century off 98 balls. Amla added 18 runs with Quinton de Kock (8) who had a couple flashy boundaries to his credit. He was soon caught behind off Bumrah as South Africa were reduced to 125/6. India's fight-back though was cut short as Philander added 18 runs with Amla until tea. This was after nightwatchman Kagiso Rabada (30 runs, 84 balls, 6 fours) played out 114 minutes of the morning session as South Africa had reached 81/3 at lunch.

India vs South Africa, 3rd Test: Jasprit Bumrah's maiden five-for helps visitors take edge on day 2

Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli on Friday outweighed former captain MS Dhoni&#39;s record with most runs in Test cricket.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/O96vvGyJW9Y" width="560"></iframe></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

With 3456 runs as captain, he tops the list of Indian captains scoring&nbsp;runs in Test Cricket.&nbsp;

Virat ranked to the first position after he scored 41 runs in the second innings of the third test between India and South Africa at Wanderers in Johannesburg.&nbsp;

The second position is occupied by MS Dhoni with 3454 runs as captain.&nbsp;

While Dhoni scored the runs in 60 test matches, Kohli just took 35 tests to surpass his score.&nbsp;

Dhoni had earlier beaten former India opener Sunil Gavaskar to reach the first position.&nbsp;Gavaskar has scored 3449 runs.

The fourth and fifth place are occupied by Mohd Azharuddin with 2856 runs and Sourav Ganguly with 2541 runs respectively.&nbsp;

With 3456 runs as captain, he tops the list of Indian captains scoring runs in Test Cricket

Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli on Friday outweighed former captain MS Dhoni's record with most runs in Test cricket. × With 3456 runs as captain, he tops the list of Indian captains scoring runs in Test Cricket. Virat ranked to the first position after he scored 41 runs in the second innings of the third test between India and South Africa at Wanderers in Johannesburg. The second position is occupied by MS Dhoni with 3454 runs as captain. While Dhoni scored the runs in 60 test matches, Kohli just took 35 tests to surpass his score. Dhoni had earlier beaten former India opener Sunil Gavaskar to reach the first position. Gavaskar has scored 3449 runs. The fourth and fifth place are occupied by Mohd Azharuddin with 2856 runs and Sourav Ganguly with 2541 runs respectively.

Kohli beats Dhoni's record, emerges as India's highest-scoring Test captain

India skipper Virat Kohli today insisted his team didn&#39;t come underprepared for the Test series against South Africa, contradicting coach Ravi Shastri&#39;s views that the side should have spent more time preparing.

Shastri had said that Team India should arrive ten days early on overseas tours in order to prepare better after the visitors lost the opening two Tests by 72 runs and 135 runs respectively at Cape Town and Centurion.

&quot;I personally don&#39;t feel that we didn&#39;t feel prepared starting this series. I won&#39;t sit here and point that out after losing a Test series.

We had a week to prepare ourselves, five days because one day we were travelling,&quot; Kohli said ahead of the third Test starting tomorrow.&quot;

&quot;So we had that and we went ahead with that. As I said, we are not going to sit and think of outside factors that made us lose. It was our errors, our mistakes of not capitalising on situations that led us to the result being 2-0 so far,&quot;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/india-vs-south-africa-3rd-test-30473">India vs South Africa 3rd Test: India look to salvage pride</a>

&quot;Responsibility isn&#39;t just one-sided. I think it&#39;s a collective responsibility of everyone and those aspects (of preparing early) are and have been a point of consideration for a while,&quot; said the skipper. Kohli said he is learning every day as a captain and would like to handle the match situations better in future.

&quot;As a captain as well, you want to proudly do better in situations when the game has gone away from you at times. So, I have thought about those things as well? how you can still keep the pressure on and not let the game slip away in very quick time,&quot; he said.

&quot;I always keep thinking about my game, how I can learn as a captain and get better in every aspect of what I do. Even focusing on the positives, you need to be able to still work on your positives to be able to be a consistent international player over a period of time. I have never stopped learning and I will never stop learning.&quot;

&quot;A lot of Indian batsmen including Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and KL Rahul have had double sessions in the nets during the three days leading up to the match.

Talking about the Indian batsmen, who have come up short in this series, Kohli said: &quot;We are looking to correcting our mistakes in these two games and intent is going to be a big part of it.

Intent can be leaving the ball or defending the ball as well. With your body language, you can get to know how a person is feeling&quot;

That&#39;s precisely what I meant. &quot;That&#39;s always going to be a big factor. When you are playing in conditions that are not your own, your belief and your body language in each minute of a Test match matters.

As a collective unit that is something we have discussed and that is something the guys are looking forward to embracing.&quot;

'We are looking to correcting our mistakes in these two games and intent is going to be a big part of it,' Kohli said

India skipper Virat Kohli today insisted his team didn't come underprepared for the Test series against South Africa, contradicting coach Ravi Shastri's views that the side should have spent more time preparing. Shastri had said that Team India should arrive ten days early on overseas tours in order to prepare better after the visitors lost the opening two Tests by 72 runs and 135 runs respectively at Cape Town and Centurion. "I personally don't feel that we didn't feel prepared starting this series. I won't sit here and point that out after losing a Test series. We had a week to prepare ourselves, five days because one day we were travelling," Kohli said ahead of the third Test starting tomorrow." "So we had that and we went ahead with that. As I said, we are not going to sit and think of outside factors that made us lose. It was our errors, our mistakes of not capitalising on situations that led us to the result being 2-0 so far," Also read: India vs South Africa 3rd Test: India look to salvage pride "Responsibility isn't just one-sided. I think it's a collective responsibility of everyone and those aspects (of preparing early) are and have been a point of consideration for a while," said the skipper. Kohli said he is learning every day as a captain and would like to handle the match situations better in future. "As a captain as well, you want to proudly do better in situations when the game has gone away from you at times. So, I have thought about those things as well? how you can still keep the pressure on and not let the game slip away in very quick time," he said. "I always keep thinking about my game, how I can learn as a captain and get better in every aspect of what I do. Even focusing on the positives, you need to be able to still work on your positives to be able to be a consistent international player over a period of time. I have never stopped learning and I will never stop learning." "A lot of Indian batsmen including Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and KL Rahul have had double sessions in the nets during the three days leading up to the match. Talking about the Indian batsmen, who have come up short in this series, Kohli said: "We are looking to correcting our mistakes in these two games and intent is going to be a big part of it. Intent can be leaving the ball or defending the ball as well. With your body language, you can get to know how a person is feeling" That's precisely what I meant. "That's always going to be a big factor. When you are playing in conditions that are not your own, your belief and your body language in each minute of a Test match matters. As a collective unit that is something we have discussed and that is something the guys are looking forward to embracing."

Ravi Shastri says India were unprepared for South Africa, Kohli says no

Opener Murali Vijay and skipper Virat Kohli showed lot of grit on a treacherous track as India reached 100 for 4 against South Africa at lunch on the third day, thereby extending their overall lead to 93.

Vijay was out at the stroke of lunch when Kagiso Rabada&#39;s yorker cleaned him up after he showed a lot of patience scoring 25 off 127 balls during his three hour and 14 minutes vigil at the crease.

Kohli as usual showed his class with some crisp on drives as he reached 27 off 49 balls at the break having added 43 runs for the fourth wicket after KL Rahul (16) and Cheteshwar Pujara (1) were dismissed early in the morning.

However, the talk of the morning was about the uneven bounce of the Wanderers track with some of the cracks on good length and short of it opening up. 
With deliveries rearing up and keeping low from the same spot from the Corlett Drive End, it became difficult for the batsmen with on-field umpires Aleem Dar and Ian Gould inspecting a few spots on the track.

First, Kohli was hit on the right hand in the 31st over.

Then, Vijay was hit on the left hand in the 35th over. Kagiso Rabada (1-31) was the bowler on both occasions.

At the second instance, the umpires and both captains had a long chat in the middle as well.

Michael Holding on air called it a pitch which he rated as &quot;2 out of 100&quot; and called for ICC sanction.

In fact the former West Indies paceman went ahead and felt that some of the batsmen could be seriously hurt as everyone does not have the technique and big heart like Kohli.

&quot;I understand Virat Kohli wants to play but not everyone can handle what he can,&quot; said Holding.

In the morning Rahul (16) chased one off Vernon Philander (2-21) and was caught at the second slip.

Three overs later, India were reduced to 57/3 as Cheteshwar Pujara (1) was caught at second slip too, this time off Morne Morkel (1-13). The ball just reared up off length and took the bat&#39;s shoulder and Pujara could do nothing about it.

This brought Kohli and Vijay together, and the duo batted out 18.5 overs. Initially, they went through a tough passage with a lot of plays and misses.

Kohli (on 4) got a life, when Aiden Markram couldn&#39;t latch on to a tough half-chance at short leg off Morkel. The ball was hit straight to his hands but the reaction time was too short to make it a proper chance.

The Indian skipper then settled down and opened up to play a few more attacking shots. Vijay was down for the grind too and, for the first time in the series, held up one end for India in really tough conditions.

India crossed 100 in the 40th over. Five balls later, Rabada got the breakthrough the Proteas were looking for.

After fending length balls on a tough pitch, Vijay was bowled off a yorker that took an inside edge, ricocheted off his backfoot and onto the stumps.

Kohli as usual showed his class with some crisp on drives as he reached 27 off 49 balls at the break having added 43 runs for the fourth wicket after KL Rahul (16) and Cheteshwar Pujara (1) were dismissed early in the morning.

Opener Murali Vijay and skipper Virat Kohli showed lot of grit on a treacherous track as India reached 100 for 4 against South Africa at lunch on the third day, thereby extending their overall lead to 93. Vijay was out at the stroke of lunch when Kagiso Rabada's yorker cleaned him up after he showed a lot of patience scoring 25 off 127 balls during his three hour and 14 minutes vigil at the crease. Kohli as usual showed his class with some crisp on drives as he reached 27 off 49 balls at the break having added 43 runs for the fourth wicket after KL Rahul (16) and Cheteshwar Pujara (1) were dismissed early in the morning. However, the talk of the morning was about the uneven bounce of the Wanderers track with some of the cracks on good length and short of it opening up. With deliveries rearing up and keeping low from the same spot from the Corlett Drive End, it became difficult for the batsmen with on-field umpires Aleem Dar and Ian Gould inspecting a few spots on the track. First, Kohli was hit on the right hand in the 31st over. Then, Vijay was hit on the left hand in the 35th over. Kagiso Rabada (1-31) was the bowler on both occasions. At the second instance, the umpires and both captains had a long chat in the middle as well. Michael Holding on air called it a pitch which he rated as "2 out of 100" and called for ICC sanction. In fact the former West Indies paceman went ahead and felt that some of the batsmen could be seriously hurt as everyone does not have the technique and big heart like Kohli. "I understand Virat Kohli wants to play but not everyone can handle what he can," said Holding. In the morning Rahul (16) chased one off Vernon Philander (2-21) and was caught at the second slip. Three overs later, India were reduced to 57/3 as Cheteshwar Pujara (1) was caught at second slip too, this time off Morne Morkel (1-13). The ball just reared up off length and took the bat's shoulder and Pujara could do nothing about it. This brought Kohli and Vijay together, and the duo batted out 18.5 overs. Initially, they went through a tough passage with a lot of plays and misses. Kohli (on 4) got a life, when Aiden Markram couldn't latch on to a tough half-chance at short leg off Morkel. The ball was hit straight to his hands but the reaction time was too short to make it a proper chance. The Indian skipper then settled down and opened up to play a few more attacking shots. Vijay was down for the grind too and, for the first time in the series, held up one end for India in really tough conditions. India crossed 100 in the 40th over. Five balls later, Rabada got the breakthrough the Proteas were looking for. After fending length balls on a tough pitch, Vijay was bowled off a yorker that took an inside edge, ricocheted off his backfoot and onto the stumps.

India vs South Africa, 3rd Test: Vijay, Kohli extend India's lead on a treacherous track

The ongoing ODI series between India and South Africa was supposed to be the mother of all cricket clashes as two top-class teams were&nbsp;fighting to be at number&nbsp;one spot.

India had lost the Test series by 1-2 but have performed exceptionally well in the ODI series which is underway.

Men in blue were not in a mood to give up on the limited overs format after disappointing&nbsp;Test series.

They won the first three ODI matches but unfortunately <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-4th-pink-odi-india-vs-south-africa-32417">lost the yesterday&#39;s rain-hit&nbsp;fourth ODI clash</a>.

Earlier, India won the toss in the fourth ODI at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg and batted first.

They gave a target of 289 runs. The match was halted twice due to lightning and rain eventually, the game was reduced to 28 overs and the revised target was 202 that South Africa achieved easily.

Aiden Markram marked his first win as a captain.&nbsp;Heinrich Klaasen scored maximum runs, (43 runs) and received the man of the match award for playing brave cricket under pressure.

Surprisingly, South African pacer&nbsp;Andile Phehlukwayo hit unbeaten 23 runs off 5 balls with an average of 460.0, that particular masterstroke helped South Africa to with the game.

The South African team was<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/here-is-why-south-african-team-is-playing-in-pink-32422"> wearing the pink jersey</a> as have taken a pledge to promote and spread&nbsp;the knowledge of breast cancer awareness to help those who are affected by this malady.

This was the sixth time when South Africa played wearing pink jerseys.

The pink colour has been really lucky for the team as they have not lost a single match yet while wearing pink.

Other instances when the Proteas wore pink:

<ul>
	<li>South Africa vs Pakistan in 2013, defeated Pakistan by 34 runs</li>
	<li>South Africa vs India in 2013, defeated India by 141 runs</li>
	<li>South Africa vs West Indies in 2015, defeated West Indies&nbsp;by 148 runs</li>
	<li>South Africa vs England in 2016, defeated England by one wicket</li>
	<li>South Africa vs Sri Lanka in 2017, defeated SL by seven wickets</li>
	<li>South Africa vs India in 2018, defeated India by five wickets</li>
</ul>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
South Africa maintain perfect pink record with five-wicket win over India<a href="https://t.co/CYaJ0fBWWp">https://t.co/CYaJ0fBWWp</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvIND</a> <a href="https://t.co/UHb4gqXpVw">pic.twitter.com/UHb4gqXpVw</a>
&mdash; ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNcricinfo/status/962417505841987584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Apart from luck and fate, the change in the colour of jersey marks a significant step that the squad has taken up which is &quot;breast cancer awareness.&quot;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Look forward to seeing you guys out there tomorrow and remember to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PitchUpInPink?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PitchUpInPink</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CancerAwareness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CancerAwareness</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficialCSA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OfficialCSA</a> <a href="https://t.co/olWuBMzBcx">pic.twitter.com/olWuBMzBcx</a>
&mdash; JP Duminy (@jpduminy21) <a href="https://twitter.com/jpduminy21/status/962016157568966657?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&nbsp;

The South African team has taken a pledge to promote and spread the knowledge of 'breast cancer awareness' to help those who are affected by this malady

The ongoing ODI series between India and South Africa was supposed to be the mother of all cricket clashes as two top-class teams were fighting to be at number one spot. India had lost the Test series by 1-2 but have performed exceptionally well in the ODI series which is underway. Men in blue were not in a mood to give up on the limited overs format after disappointing Test series. They won the first three ODI matches but unfortunately lost the yesterday's rain-hit fourth ODI clash. Earlier, India won the toss in the fourth ODI at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg and batted first. They gave a target of 289 runs. The match was halted twice due to lightning and rain eventually, the game was reduced to 28 overs and the revised target was 202 that South Africa achieved easily. Aiden Markram marked his first win as a captain. Heinrich Klaasen scored maximum runs, (43 runs) and received the man of the match award for playing brave cricket under pressure. Surprisingly, South African pacer Andile Phehlukwayo hit unbeaten 23 runs off 5 balls with an average of 460.0, that particular masterstroke helped South Africa to with the game. The South African team was wearing the pink jersey as have taken a pledge to promote and spread the knowledge of breast cancer awareness to help those who are affected by this malady. This was the sixth time when South Africa played wearing pink jerseys. The pink colour has been really lucky for the team as they have not lost a single match yet while wearing pink. Other instances when the Proteas wore pink: South Africa vs Pakistan in 2013, defeated Pakistan by 34 runs South Africa vs India in 2013, defeated India by 141 runs South Africa vs West Indies in 2015, defeated West Indies by 148 runs South Africa vs England in 2016, defeated England by one wicket South Africa vs Sri Lanka in 2017, defeated SL by seven wickets South Africa vs India in 2018, defeated India by five wickets South Africa maintain perfect pink record with five-wicket win over Indiahttps://t.co/CYaJ0fBWWp #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/UHb4gqXpVw — ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) February 10, 2018 × Apart from luck and fate, the change in the colour of jersey marks a significant step that the squad has taken up which is "breast cancer awareness." Look forward to seeing you guys out there tomorrow and remember to #PitchUpInPink #CancerAwareness @OfficialCSA pic.twitter.com/olWuBMzBcx — JP Duminy (@jpduminy21) February 9, 2018 ×

South African legacy of winning in 'pink' continues

South Africa defeated India in<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/4th-odi-men-in-blue-vs-men-in-pink-32408"> the 4th ODI match</a>&nbsp;by 5 wickets at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg. Earlier, India won the toss and opted to bat.

India batted first and gave a target of 289 runs. The game was halted twice due to lightning and rain eventually, the game was reduced to 28 overs and the revised target was 202 which South Africa achieved easily.

Aiden Markram marked his first win as a captain.

For India, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan opened the game but <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/opinion-rohit-sharma-is-rockstar-at-home-flop-star-abroad-28994">Rohit again failed to perform</a> as he lost his wicket after scoring 5 odd runs.

On the other hand, Shikhar Dhawan who was playing his 100th ODI was magnificent. He slammed a century and gave a&nbsp;resounding start for the team.

He also became the<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/shikhar-dhawan-first-indian-to-score-100-in-100th-odi-match-32432"> first Indian to score 100 in the 100th match</a>.

Virat Kohli also played some brilliant shots and scored 75 runs before pushing the ball in the safe hands of Chris Morris.

Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer and Hardik Pandya scored 8, 18 and 9 respectively.

MS Dhoni settled the middle batting order and scored 42 unbeaten runs for the team.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/opinion-can-the-return-of-ab-de-villiers-turn-the-tide-for-south-africa-32395">Also read:&nbsp;Opinion: Can the return of AB de Villiers turn the tide for South Africa?</a>

For South Africa, Heinrich Klaasen scored maximum runs, (43 runs) and received the man of the match award for playing brave cricket under pressure.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Give it up for our man of the match <a href="https://twitter.com/Heini22?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Heini22</a>. What a performance, take a bow ???????????????? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvIND</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PitchUpInPink?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PitchUpInPink</a> <a href="https://t.co/QsDmDniSVB">pic.twitter.com/QsDmDniSVB</a>
&mdash; Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficialCSA/status/962423640263479296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Other batsmen Aiden Markram (22), Hashim Amla (33), JP Duminy (10), AB de Villiers (26) and David Miller (39) played average, none of them&nbsp;was remarkable.

It would be an injustice to say India did not perform they were just unlucky.

South Africa, an arguably dominant unit at home strived hard to perform but the injuries had overshadowed the team as AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock were ruled out.

But&nbsp;AB de Villiers returned in the previous match.&nbsp;The Proteas <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/here-is-why-south-african-team-is-playing-in-pink-32422">played in the pink jersey</a> as they have pledged to create awareness for breast cancer and out of 6 ODI games, South Africa have not lost a single game yet.

Although India lost the game but still lead the six-match ODI series by 3-1.

&nbsp;

India still leads the six-match ODI series by 3-1

South Africa defeated India in the 4th ODI match by 5 wickets at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg. Earlier, India won the toss and opted to bat. India batted first and gave a target of 289 runs. The game was halted twice due to lightning and rain eventually, the game was reduced to 28 overs and the revised target was 202 which South Africa achieved easily. Aiden Markram marked his first win as a captain. For India, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan opened the game but Rohit again failed to perform as he lost his wicket after scoring 5 odd runs. On the other hand, Shikhar Dhawan who was playing his 100th ODI was magnificent. He slammed a century and gave a resounding start for the team. He also became the first Indian to score 100 in the 100th match. Virat Kohli also played some brilliant shots and scored 75 runs before pushing the ball in the safe hands of Chris Morris. Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer and Hardik Pandya scored 8, 18 and 9 respectively. MS Dhoni settled the middle batting order and scored 42 unbeaten runs for the team. Also read: Opinion: Can the return of AB de Villiers turn the tide for South Africa? For South Africa, Heinrich Klaasen scored maximum runs, (43 runs) and received the man of the match award for playing brave cricket under pressure. Give it up for our man of the match @Heini22. What a performance, take a bow ???????????????? #SAvIND #PitchUpInPink pic.twitter.com/QsDmDniSVB — Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) February 10, 2018 × Other batsmen Aiden Markram (22), Hashim Amla (33), JP Duminy (10), AB de Villiers (26) and David Miller (39) played average, none of them was remarkable. It would be an injustice to say India did not perform they were just unlucky. South Africa, an arguably dominant unit at home strived hard to perform but the injuries had overshadowed the team as AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock were ruled out. But AB de Villiers returned in the previous match. The Proteas played in the pink jersey as they have pledged to create awareness for breast cancer and out of 6 ODI games, South Africa have not lost a single game yet. Although India lost the game but still lead the six-match ODI series by 3-1.

4th ODI IND vs SA: South Africa beats India by 5 wickets

The scoreline is rather hard to believe at present. The visiting Indian side leading 3-0 in the six-match ODI series against an arguably dominant South African unit at home.

This was supposed to be the mother of all ODI battles. The clash between the No. 1 and No. 2 ODI sides in the world. The greatest heavyweights of the limited overs format having a go at each other and having an epic contest for the crowds to savour. That wasn&rsquo;t to be, however.&nbsp;

South Africa looks like a pale shadow of what they used to be once. Their batting has been shambolic and bowling has been wayward. And without the services of star batsmen like AB de Villiers and Faf Du Plessis, South Africa has simply not been able to maintain its standards.

Old issues against wrist spin have resurfaced and there has been a real lack of application from the players in fighting it out. This raises serious questions about the future of this South African ODI outfit and makes one wonder how well they are prepared for their &lsquo;Mission 2019&rsquo;.

As India take on South Africa in the fourth ODI at the Wanderers, the hosts would be hoping for a turnaround in their fortunes. The return of star batsman AB de Villiers after an injury layoff will certainly bolster their prospects a bit.

After all, he is their greatest match-winner and averages 100.85 from 11 matches at this ground. This is also a Pink ODI and the South Africans would be seen donning the pink jersey in an ODI match again. Ever since this tradition was started five years ago, South Africa has been undefeatable in pink.

They have played five ODIs in pink and have not lost a single game as yet. History, however, would be of little help if the hosts continue to play they have been over the last few days.&nbsp;

For India, despite their winning momentum, there are causes of concern. Rohit Sharma seems to have fallen into his inconsistency pattern again and the lower middle-order looks fragile. Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya and Kedar Jadhav have to do more so that the burden on Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan is reduced a bit.

India&rsquo;s bowlers, though, have been absolutely brilliant and Kohli would need them to continue in the same vein. The seamers have not allowed the batsmen to get away to rollicking starts and then the wrist spinners - Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav &ndash; have taken over.

The two have spun such a vicious web over the South African batsmen that they do not how to untangle themselves out of it. Perhaps with De Villiers coming back, they will finally have some relief.

There is no denying, however, that despite the return of AB de Villiers, India start as favourites in the fourth ODI. They have displayed a brand of aggressive and professional cricket and it will not be surprising if they go on to subdue South Africa again and get a series-clinching win here.

&nbsp;

Without the services of star batsmen like AB de Villiers, South Africa has not been able to maintain its standards and return of star batsman AB de Villiers will certainly bolster their prospects a bit

The scoreline is rather hard to believe at present. The visiting Indian side leading 3-0 in the six-match ODI series against an arguably dominant South African unit at home. This was supposed to be the mother of all ODI battles. The clash between the No. 1 and No. 2 ODI sides in the world. The greatest heavyweights of the limited overs format having a go at each other and having an epic contest for the crowds to savour. That wasn’t to be, however. South Africa looks like a pale shadow of what they used to be once. Their batting has been shambolic and bowling has been wayward. And without the services of star batsmen like AB de Villiers and Faf Du Plessis, South Africa has simply not been able to maintain its standards. Old issues against wrist spin have resurfaced and there has been a real lack of application from the players in fighting it out. This raises serious questions about the future of this South African ODI outfit and makes one wonder how well they are prepared for their ‘Mission 2019’. As India take on South Africa in the fourth ODI at the Wanderers, the hosts would be hoping for a turnaround in their fortunes. The return of star batsman AB de Villiers after an injury layoff will certainly bolster their prospects a bit. After all, he is their greatest match-winner and averages 100.85 from 11 matches at this ground. This is also a Pink ODI and the South Africans would be seen donning the pink jersey in an ODI match again. Ever since this tradition was started five years ago, South Africa has been undefeatable in pink. They have played five ODIs in pink and have not lost a single game as yet. History, however, would be of little help if the hosts continue to play they have been over the last few days. For India, despite their winning momentum, there are causes of concern. Rohit Sharma seems to have fallen into his inconsistency pattern again and the lower middle-order looks fragile. Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya and Kedar Jadhav have to do more so that the burden on Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan is reduced a bit. India’s bowlers, though, have been absolutely brilliant and Kohli would need them to continue in the same vein. The seamers have not allowed the batsmen to get away to rollicking starts and then the wrist spinners - Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav – have taken over. The two have spun such a vicious web over the South African batsmen that they do not how to untangle themselves out of it. Perhaps with De Villiers coming back, they will finally have some relief. There is no denying, however, that despite the return of AB de Villiers, India start as favourites in the fourth ODI. They have displayed a brand of aggressive and professional cricket and it will not be surprising if they go on to subdue South Africa again and get a series-clinching win here.

Opinion: Can the return of AB de Villiers turn the tide for South Africa?

Indian opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan was playing his 100th ODI match <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-4th-pink-odi-india-vs-south-africa-32417">against South Africa</a> and slammed a magnificent century.

He becomes first Indian batsman to score 100 runs in the 100th match. It was his 13th ODI century.

Dhawan made 109 which included 11 fours and 2 sixes with a strike rate of 103.81.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NewProfilePic?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NewProfilePic</a> &macr;\_(ツ)_/&macr; <a href="https://t.co/JHDE0EECja">pic.twitter.com/JHDE0EECja</a>
&mdash; ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/962337392505049100?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

The other batsmen who have achieved this rare master stroke are:

<ul>
	<li>Gordon Greenidge</li>
	<li>Chris Cairns (New Zealand)</li>
	<li>Mohammad Yousuf (Pakistan)</li>
	<li>Chris Gayle (West Indies)</li>
	<li>Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka)</li>
	<li>Marcus Trescothick (England)</li>
	<li>Ramnaresh Sarwan (West Indies)</li>
	<li>David Warner (Australia)</li>
	<li>Shikhar Dhawan (India)</li>
</ul>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/4th-odi-men-in-blue-vs-men-in-pink-32408">The fourth ODI</a> between India and South Africa is underway at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg.

India is already leading the six-match series by 3-0 with and will enter the 4th ODI with a high.

Rohit Sharma again failed to perform and lost his wicket after scoring 5 odd runs.

&nbsp;

Dhawan becomes first Indian batsman to score 100 runs in the 100th match

Indian opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan was playing his 100th ODI match against South Africa and slammed a magnificent century. He becomes first Indian batsman to score 100 runs in the 100th match. It was his 13th ODI century. Dhawan made 109 which included 11 fours and 2 sixes with a strike rate of 103.81. #NewProfilePic ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ pic.twitter.com/JHDE0EECja — ICC (@ICC) February 10, 2018 × The other batsmen who have achieved this rare master stroke are: Gordon Greenidge Chris Cairns (New Zealand) Mohammad Yousuf (Pakistan) Chris Gayle (West Indies) Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) Marcus Trescothick (England) Ramnaresh Sarwan (West Indies) David Warner (Australia) Shikhar Dhawan (India) The fourth ODI between India and South Africa is underway at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg. India is already leading the six-match series by 3-0 with and will enter the 4th ODI with a high. Rohit Sharma again failed to perform and lost his wicket after scoring 5 odd runs.

Shikhar Dhawan: First Indian to score 100 in 100th ODI match

The fourth One Day International match between<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/4th-odi-men-in-blue-vs-men-in-pink-32408"> India and South Africa</a> is underway of a six-match series between the two top-class cricket teams of the world.

India is already leading the series with 3-0 and looking forward to winning the ODI series to regain number one ICC spot.

India had a very disappointing Test series when they lost it to the Proteas by 1-2 but in the limited overs format, India has salvaged the cricketing pride and behaving like a number one team, which they actually are.

On the other hand, South Africa an arguably dominant team at home has failed to produce results as the squad has been overshadowed by series of injuries firstly it was AB de Villiers then Faf du Plessis and also wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock.

Now, AB has marked his entry in the fourth ODI and will play for the remaining matches. It is expected that he will bring a new boost to the bland squad.

Apart from AB&#39;s return, there is one more thing that is very different for the Proteas&nbsp;and that is the Pink jersey.

This is the sixth time when South Africa will play wearing pink jerseys.

The pink colour has been really lucky for the team as they have not lost a single match yet while wearing pink.

Apart from luck and fate, the change in the colour of jersey&nbsp;marks a significant step that the squad has taken up which is &quot;breast cancer awareness.&quot;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Look forward to seeing you guys out there tomorrow and remember to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PitchUpInPink?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PitchUpInPink</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CancerAwareness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CancerAwareness</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficialCSA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OfficialCSA</a> <a href="https://t.co/olWuBMzBcx">pic.twitter.com/olWuBMzBcx</a>
&mdash; JP Duminy (@jpduminy21) <a href="https://twitter.com/jpduminy21/status/962016157568966657?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

This campaign is promoted by the South African team in spreading the knowledge of breast cancer awareness to help those who are affected by this malady.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
It&#39;s officially one more week until Pink Day! Get ready to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PitchUpInPink?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PitchUpInPink</a> and show your support for breast cancer patient.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PinkDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PinkDay</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cancer?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cancer</a> <a href="https://t.co/fOv1wqwjyJ">pic.twitter.com/fOv1wqwjyJ</a>
&mdash; AB De Villiers FC???? (@devilliers17fc) <a href="https://twitter.com/devilliers17fc/status/961879820312481792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
We all know the importance of early detection. <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidMillerSA12?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DavidMillerSA12</a> shares his message of support for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CatchItEarly?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CatchItEarly</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficialCSA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OfficialCSA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PinkODI?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PinkODI</a> <a href="https://t.co/EOgoBcsd0P">pic.twitter.com/EOgoBcsd0P</a>
&mdash; Castle Lager SA (@CastleLagerSA) <a href="https://twitter.com/CastleLagerSA/status/961953535129681920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Today is <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PinkFriday?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PinkFriday</a>, the NDoH employees, survivors, friends &amp; family dress up in pink in support of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/breastcancer?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#breastcancer</a> sufferers &amp; their families. We also remember the brave people who lost their battle to it &amp; we paint Jo&rsquo;burg pink to raise funds for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/breastcancer?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#breastcancer</a> awareness. ^eN5 <a href="https://t.co/NmvjFnMlID">pic.twitter.com/NmvjFnMlID</a>
&mdash; Department of Health (@HealthZA) <a href="https://twitter.com/HealthZA/status/961878014253518848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&nbsp;

South African squad wears pink to promote knowledge of breast cancer awareness only early detection can beat this king of maladies

The fourth One Day International match between India and South Africa is underway of a six-match series between the two top-class cricket teams of the world. India is already leading the series with 3-0 and looking forward to winning the ODI series to regain number one ICC spot. India had a very disappointing Test series when they lost it to the Proteas by 1-2 but in the limited overs format, India has salvaged the cricketing pride and behaving like a number one team, which they actually are. On the other hand, South Africa an arguably dominant team at home has failed to produce results as the squad has been overshadowed by series of injuries firstly it was AB de Villiers then Faf du Plessis and also wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock. Now, AB has marked his entry in the fourth ODI and will play for the remaining matches. It is expected that he will bring a new boost to the bland squad. Apart from AB's return, there is one more thing that is very different for the Proteas and that is the Pink jersey. This is the sixth time when South Africa will play wearing pink jerseys. The pink colour has been really lucky for the team as they have not lost a single match yet while wearing pink. Apart from luck and fate, the change in the colour of jersey marks a significant step that the squad has taken up which is "breast cancer awareness." Look forward to seeing you guys out there tomorrow and remember to #PitchUpInPink #CancerAwareness @OfficialCSA pic.twitter.com/olWuBMzBcx — JP Duminy (@jpduminy21) February 9, 2018 × This campaign is promoted by the South African team in spreading the knowledge of breast cancer awareness to help those who are affected by this malady. It's officially one more week until Pink Day! Get ready to #PitchUpInPink and show your support for breast cancer patient.#PinkDay #Cancer pic.twitter.com/fOv1wqwjyJ — AB De Villiers FC???? (@devilliers17fc) February 9, 2018 × We all know the importance of early detection. @DavidMillerSA12 shares his message of support for #CatchItEarly. @OfficialCSA #PinkODI pic.twitter.com/EOgoBcsd0P — Castle Lager SA (@CastleLagerSA) February 9, 2018 × Today is #PinkFriday, the NDoH employees, survivors, friends & family dress up in pink in support of #breastcancer sufferers & their families. We also remember the brave people who lost their battle to it & we paint Jo’burg pink to raise funds for #breastcancer awareness. ^eN5 pic.twitter.com/NmvjFnMlID — Department of Health (@HealthZA) February 9, 2018 ×

Here is why South African team is playing in pink

Run machine Virat Kohli carved out his 34th ODI hundred and second of the series to push India to 303 for six in the third match against South Africa here today.

Kohli scored an unbeaten 160 off 159 balls for the highest individual score by an Indian batsman against South Africa in South Africa, going past Sourav Ganguly&#39;s&nbsp;127 at Johannesburg in 2001. It was also Kohli&#39;s second-highest ODI score after 183 against Pakistan in 2012.

It was not an easy wicket to bat on but Kohli made run-scoring look easy as some of the other batsmen struggled to get going.

Such was the nature of his innings that he scored only 60 runs through boundaries while he had to run hard for the remaining 100. In total, he collected 12 fours and two sixes.

He also became the first Indian batsman to score a hundred against South Africa at Newlands. Only Ganguly previously had an ODI century at this ground, but that came against Kenya in March 2003.

Records kept tumbling as his innings progressed. He also became the Indian ODI captain with most hundreds to his name.

He went past Ganguly again, who has 11 centuries in 142 innings. Kohli now boasts of 12 hundred as skipper but in only 43 innings.

Kohli, with 318 runs in this series so far, now also has the most runs for a visiting batsman in a bilateral ODI series against South Africa in South Africa. Ricky Ponting, with 283 runs in 2001-02, was the previous best.

In terms of balls faced, it was the joint-slowest hundred for Kohli, after he faced 119 balls against Pakistan at Adelaide in 2015. But in doing so, Kohli put on 140 runs with Shikar Dhawan for the second wicket.

The left-handed opener scored 76 runs off 63 balls (12 fours) to rescue India from a poor start after South Africa won the toss and opted to bowl.

The Proteas made three changes to their playing eleven after the Centurion defeat. Lungi Ngidi and Heinrich Klaasen were handed their ODI debuts and came in for Morne Morkel and injured Quinton de Kock, respectively.

Andile Phehlukwayo was included ahead of Tabraiz Shamsi as the hosts played only full-time spinner. India fielded an unchanged side again.

Rohit Sharma (0) continued his poor run in this ODI series and was caught behind off the sixth ball he faced. The three-time ODI double-centurion now averages 12.10 in 10 innings on South African soil and has an ODI high score of only 23.

Kohli (on 0*) survived an early lbw shout off Kagiso Rabada (1-54) in the third over. He immediately asked for DRS review, which showed an inside edge and the decision was overturned.

Dhawan and Kohli then came together, and piled on the runs, almost continuing from where they had left off in the previous match. They hit a plethora of boundaries in the first 10 overs as India were placed at 50/1 at the end of first powerplay.

Momentarily though, India&#39;s run-rate dipped below 5/over as Chris Morris (1-45) exerted some control over proceedings. In the meantime, Dhawan scored his 25th ODI half-century off 42 balls and took his team past 100 in the 18th over.

Dhawan accelerated after reaching his mark and scored 26 runs off next 21 balls he faced. Part of the reason had to do with Imran Tahir?s (1-52) inclusion into the attack as Dhawan-Kohli pairing milked his bowling for runs. India&#39;s run-rate suddenly soared past six runs per over.

JP Duminy (2-60) then provided the breakthrough. In fact, it was stand-in skipper Aiden Markram who did all the hard work and took a stunning diving catch to dismiss Dhawan who had danced down to the part-timer.

South Africa then triggered a mini-collapse in the middle order as India lost three wickets for 48 runs. Ajinkya Rahane (11) tried to needlessly attack Duminy and only skied a catch to Phehlukwayo.

Hardik Pandya (14) was sent out to target the spinners, who were creating a bit of pressure backed up by some energised Proteas&#39;&nbsp;fielding. He did hit one six in his 15-ball stay but otherwise looked pretty unconvincing before edging behind off Morris.

MS Dhoni (10) then stemmed the down-curve and added 40 runs with Kohli. In this passage of play, Kohli brought up his hundred off 119 balls, including seven fours.

Oddly enough, quite a few South African bowlers used off cutters as the ball seemed to stop before coming onto the bat, indicating that the wrist-spinners will once come into play.

Kedar Jadhav (1) played a nothing shot and edged behind off Phehlukwayo (1-42) as India were reduced to 236 for six in the 43rd over.

The skipper then found a stable partner in Bhuvneshwar Kumar (16 not out) and the duo added 63 runs off only 43 balls for the seventh wicket, taking India to a challenging total.

Kohli scored an unbeaten 160 off 159 balls for the highest individual score by an Indian batsman against South Africa in South Africa, going past Sourav Ganguly's 127 at Johannesburg in 2001. It was also Kohli's second-highest ODI score after 183 against Pakistan in 2012

Run machine Virat Kohli carved out his 34th ODI hundred and second of the series to push India to 303 for six in the third match against South Africa here today. Kohli scored an unbeaten 160 off 159 balls for the highest individual score by an Indian batsman against South Africa in South Africa, going past Sourav Ganguly's 127 at Johannesburg in 2001. It was also Kohli's second-highest ODI score after 183 against Pakistan in 2012. It was not an easy wicket to bat on but Kohli made run-scoring look easy as some of the other batsmen struggled to get going. Such was the nature of his innings that he scored only 60 runs through boundaries while he had to run hard for the remaining 100. In total, he collected 12 fours and two sixes. He also became the first Indian batsman to score a hundred against South Africa at Newlands. Only Ganguly previously had an ODI century at this ground, but that came against Kenya in March 2003. Records kept tumbling as his innings progressed. He also became the Indian ODI captain with most hundreds to his name. He went past Ganguly again, who has 11 centuries in 142 innings. Kohli now boasts of 12 hundred as skipper but in only 43 innings. Kohli, with 318 runs in this series so far, now also has the most runs for a visiting batsman in a bilateral ODI series against South Africa in South Africa. Ricky Ponting, with 283 runs in 2001-02, was the previous best. In terms of balls faced, it was the joint-slowest hundred for Kohli, after he faced 119 balls against Pakistan at Adelaide in 2015. But in doing so, Kohli put on 140 runs with Shikar Dhawan for the second wicket. The left-handed opener scored 76 runs off 63 balls (12 fours) to rescue India from a poor start after South Africa won the toss and opted to bowl. The Proteas made three changes to their playing eleven after the Centurion defeat. Lungi Ngidi and Heinrich Klaasen were handed their ODI debuts and came in for Morne Morkel and injured Quinton de Kock, respectively. Andile Phehlukwayo was included ahead of Tabraiz Shamsi as the hosts played only full-time spinner. India fielded an unchanged side again. Rohit Sharma (0) continued his poor run in this ODI series and was caught behind off the sixth ball he faced. The three-time ODI double-centurion now averages 12.10 in 10 innings on South African soil and has an ODI high score of only 23. Kohli (on 0*) survived an early lbw shout off Kagiso Rabada (1-54) in the third over. He immediately asked for DRS review, which showed an inside edge and the decision was overturned. Dhawan and Kohli then came together, and piled on the runs, almost continuing from where they had left off in the previous match. They hit a plethora of boundaries in the first 10 overs as India were placed at 50/1 at the end of first powerplay. Momentarily though, India's run-rate dipped below 5/over as Chris Morris (1-45) exerted some control over proceedings. In the meantime, Dhawan scored his 25th ODI half-century off 42 balls and took his team past 100 in the 18th over. Dhawan accelerated after reaching his mark and scored 26 runs off next 21 balls he faced. Part of the reason had to do with Imran Tahir?s (1-52) inclusion into the attack as Dhawan-Kohli pairing milked his bowling for runs. India's run-rate suddenly soared past six runs per over. JP Duminy (2-60) then provided the breakthrough. In fact, it was stand-in skipper Aiden Markram who did all the hard work and took a stunning diving catch to dismiss Dhawan who had danced down to the part-timer. South Africa then triggered a mini-collapse in the middle order as India lost three wickets for 48 runs. Ajinkya Rahane (11) tried to needlessly attack Duminy and only skied a catch to Phehlukwayo. Hardik Pandya (14) was sent out to target the spinners, who were creating a bit of pressure backed up by some energised Proteas' fielding. He did hit one six in his 15-ball stay but otherwise looked pretty unconvincing before edging behind off Morris. MS Dhoni (10) then stemmed the down-curve and added 40 runs with Kohli. In this passage of play, Kohli brought up his hundred off 119 balls, including seven fours. Oddly enough, quite a few South African bowlers used off cutters as the ball seemed to stop before coming onto the bat, indicating that the wrist-spinners will once come into play. Kedar Jadhav (1) played a nothing shot and edged behind off Phehlukwayo (1-42) as India were reduced to 236 for six in the 43rd over. The skipper then found a stable partner in Bhuvneshwar Kumar (16 not out) and the duo added 63 runs off only 43 balls for the seventh wicket, taking India to a challenging total.

3rd ODI: Unstoppable Kohli hits 34th ton, takes India to 303/6

Ajinkya Rahane&#39;s batting position in the ODI side has been a topic of debate but the Mumbai batsman made it clear that his preferred slot will be number four after a well-made 79 in India&#39;s six-wicket win against South Africa in the first ODI.

Prior to this series, Rahane was being dubbed as the reserve opener as team management experimented with a number of batsmen at that position but things have changed after his half-century in the opening game coming at number four.

KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav and Dinesh Karthik have all been tried at that position with mixed results.

Asked if he is more comfortable at number four, Rahane said:&quot;I am better equipped for batting at number four, I am more matured now. I know how to build my innings at number four,&quot; Rahane said ahead of the second ODI.

&quot;Batting at number four is different. The confidence came from last Test win at Johannesburg, where I scored 48 runs. But I was actually determined to do well at that slot because I have batted at that position during the 2015 World Cup (in Australia and New Zealand),&quot; Rahane added.

About his innings during first ODI, Rahane seemed satisfied as a target of 270 seemed par-score.

&quot;We knew that it (270) was a par score on that wicket. Our bowlers did a really good job. Personally, I really enjoyed batting at that particular position and I am looking forward to doing even better,&quot; he added.

When asked about the challenges of batting two-down as he was primarily perceived asn an opener, Rahane replied: &quot;It&#39;s all about how you think, especially when you bat at Nos 3 and 4, it&#39;s all about how you think. My mindset was just to take my time initially and then later on back my instincts.

The pace and bounce on South African wickets suit huis style of batsmanship, said Rahane.

&quot;I am naturally an attacking batsman and these wickets suit me a lot. There is good pace and bounce. So these wickets suit me a lot. So my plan was to take my time initially and if I get set, then carry on my innings.&quot;

Challenging the surfaces with quality pace attack is something that Rahane always enjoys facing and it&#39;s no different.

&quot;I enjoy playing against every opponent but I think teams like South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, they have very good attacks in world cricket and I enjoy facing fast bowlers.

&quot;I enjoy facing challenges, and when you play in South Africa against this sort of attack you know that you are up for the challenge. We don&#39;t take them lightly. As I mentioned, I just wanted to take my time but I enjoyed facing this challenge,&quot; he said.

The soft-spoken Mumbaikar said that his mind was completely blank before the start of the series.

&quot;I was completely blank. I wasn&#39;t thinking about any result. Ahead of this (series), I didn&#39;t know what was going to happen. I was just thinking about what would be my role in the series. I just wanted to keep contributing towards the win. Right now, the team management told me to bat at No 4 position. So I just want to give my best shot,&quot; he added.&nbsp;

Prior to this series, Rahane was being dubbed as the reserve opener

Ajinkya Rahane's batting position in the ODI side has been a topic of debate but the Mumbai batsman made it clear that his preferred slot will be number four after a well-made 79 in India's six-wicket win against South Africa in the first ODI. Prior to this series, Rahane was being dubbed as the reserve opener as team management experimented with a number of batsmen at that position but things have changed after his half-century in the opening game coming at number four. KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav and Dinesh Karthik have all been tried at that position with mixed results. Asked if he is more comfortable at number four, Rahane said:"I am better equipped for batting at number four, I am more matured now. I know how to build my innings at number four," Rahane said ahead of the second ODI. "Batting at number four is different. The confidence came from last Test win at Johannesburg, where I scored 48 runs. But I was actually determined to do well at that slot because I have batted at that position during the 2015 World Cup (in Australia and New Zealand)," Rahane added. About his innings during first ODI, Rahane seemed satisfied as a target of 270 seemed par-score. "We knew that it (270) was a par score on that wicket. Our bowlers did a really good job. Personally, I really enjoyed batting at that particular position and I am looking forward to doing even better," he added. When asked about the challenges of batting two-down as he was primarily perceived asn an opener, Rahane replied: "It's all about how you think, especially when you bat at Nos 3 and 4, it's all about how you think. My mindset was just to take my time initially and then later on back my instincts. The pace and bounce on South African wickets suit huis style of batsmanship, said Rahane. "I am naturally an attacking batsman and these wickets suit me a lot. There is good pace and bounce. So these wickets suit me a lot. So my plan was to take my time initially and if I get set, then carry on my innings." Challenging the surfaces with quality pace attack is something that Rahane always enjoys facing and it's no different. "I enjoy playing against every opponent but I think teams like South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, they have very good attacks in world cricket and I enjoy facing fast bowlers. "I enjoy facing challenges, and when you play in South Africa against this sort of attack you know that you are up for the challenge. We don't take them lightly. As I mentioned, I just wanted to take my time but I enjoyed facing this challenge," he said. The soft-spoken Mumbaikar said that his mind was completely blank before the start of the series. "I was completely blank. I wasn't thinking about any result. Ahead of this (series), I didn't know what was going to happen. I was just thinking about what would be my role in the series. I just wanted to keep contributing towards the win. Right now, the team management told me to bat at No 4 position. So I just want to give my best shot," he added.

India vs South Africa 2nd ODI: Better equipped to bat at No 4, says Rahane

Resting all doubts, Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli led the Indian team to a 6-wicket win against South Africa on their 1st ODI match in Durban.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/1st-odi-shikhar-dhawan-gets-angry-at-kohli-after-run-out-twitterati-make-the-most-of-it-31571" target="_blank">Also </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/1st-odi-shikhar-dhawan-gets-angry-at-kohli-after-run-out-twitterati-make-the-most-of-it-31571" target="_blank">Read:</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/1st-odi-shikhar-dhawan-gets-angry-at-kohli-after-run-out-twitterati-make-the-most-of-it-31571" target="_blank">&nbsp;Shikhar Dhawan gets angry at Kohli after run out, Twitterati make the most of it</a>

While the cricketer hit 112 from 119 balls to help his team get an <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/kohlis-33rd-ton-helps-india-beat-sa-by-6-wkts-in-first-odi-31532" target="_blank">easy win over South Africa</a>, his wife and actress Anushka Sharma supported him on social media by posting sweet messages.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/new%20(9)-20180202101942.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
Screenshot of what Anushka Sharma posted in one story on Instagram (Instagram)
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

The actress took to Instagram to share the happy moments with fans and posted a series of photographs of Virat and his stint on the pitch in the story:&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/new%20(8)-20180202101814.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
Screenshot of two stories that Anushka Sharma shared on Instagram. (Instagram)
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

The newly-marrieds have been the talk of the town ever since they tied the knot in a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-presenting-the-first-official-photo-of-virat-kohli-and-his-bride-anushka-sharma-26487" target="_blank">private secret ceremony</a> on December 11 last year in Tuscany, Italy.&nbsp;

On the work front, Anushka Sharma will be next seen in&nbsp;horror-suspense&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-watch-teaser-anushka-sharma-in-pari-looks-creepy-as-a-witch-29079" target="_blank">Pari</a> and&nbsp;Sui Dhagga opposite Varun Dhawan.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-watch-varun-dhawan-seeks-blessings-from-pm-modi-mahatma-gandhi-for-film-sui-dhagga-31335" target="_blank">Also Read:&nbsp;Watch: Varun Dhawan seeks blessings from PM Modi, Mahatma Gandhi for film &#39;Sui Dhagga&#39;</a>

Virat scored his 33rd ODI hundred to guide India to a comprehensive 6-wicket win over South Africa in the 1st ODI at Kingsmead, Durban

Resting all doubts, Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli led the Indian team to a 6-wicket win against South Africa on their 1st ODI match in Durban. Also Read: Shikhar Dhawan gets angry at Kohli after run out, Twitterati make the most of it While the cricketer hit 112 from 119 balls to help his team get an easy win over South Africa, his wife and actress Anushka Sharma supported him on social media by posting sweet messages. Screenshot of what Anushka Sharma posted in one story on Instagram (Instagram) × The actress took to Instagram to share the happy moments with fans and posted a series of photographs of Virat and his stint on the pitch in the story: Screenshot of two stories that Anushka Sharma shared on Instagram. (Instagram) × The newly-marrieds have been the talk of the town ever since they tied the knot in a private secret ceremony on December 11 last year in Tuscany, Italy. On the work front, Anushka Sharma will be next seen in horror-suspense Pari and Sui Dhagga opposite Varun Dhawan. Also Read: Watch: Varun Dhawan seeks blessings from PM Modi, Mahatma Gandhi for film 'Sui Dhagga'

In Photos: Anushka Sharma can't get over husband Virat Kohli's 33rd ODI century

India&#39;s top order again failed to perform as the visitors left battling to save the second Test reduced to&nbsp;35 for three at the close on the fourth day of the second Test at SuperSport Park on Tuesday.

India lost both openers early along with the key wicket of captain Virat Kohli as India struggled to keep their hopes alive in the series.

South African debutant pacer, Lungi Ngidi struck twice to claim&nbsp;KL Rahul&nbsp;and Virat Kohli. Opener Rahul managed just 4 runs and with skipper Virat Kohli out lbw for just 5 runs.

Parthiv Patel batted defiantly to end the day with Pujara with India still needing 252 runs to win on the last day.

Earlier, Indian opener Murli Vijay lost his wicket to Rabada&nbsp;after scoring 9 runs as India struggled early in the second innings.

South Africa leading the series 1-0 did not let up, piling on the pressure as the Indian batsmen crumbled under sustained aggression.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/virat-kohli-found-guilty-of-misbehaving-with-umpires-29690" target="_blank">Virat Kohli found guilty of &#39;misbehaving&#39; with umpires, fined</a>

The main highlight of South Africa&rsquo;s second innings was of AB de Villiers and Dean Elgar, scoring 80 and 61 respectively.

&quot;It&#39;s massive for us and I think it&#39;s massive for India, knowing he&#39;s not batting,&quot; said South Africa opener Dean Elgar.

&quot;He&#39;s a very special batsman, as we saw in the first innings. I&#39;m sitting here with a smile on my face because he&#39;s one less very competitive, extremely talented batsman we have to deal with,&quot; he added.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
A few big moments in the last two overs. First snicko picked up an edge that SA did no appeal for when Pujara was facing up to Morkel. Then there&#39;s a huge appeal for Ngidi against Patel. SA opt to rightly not review. India 28/3 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ProteaFire?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ProteaFire</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvIND</a> <a href="https://t.co/cnAZ2mY1x8">pic.twitter.com/cnAZ2mY1x8</a>
&mdash; Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficialCSA/status/953293032165662720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Earlier, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/2nd-test-south-africa-all-out-for-258-in-2nd-innings-29737" target="_blank">Mohammed Shami&#39;s four-wicket haul had South Africa all out for 258 runs</a> in their second innings during the final session.

The Proteas managed to set India a mammoth target of 287 at the Centurion.

For India, apart from Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah took three wickets and Ishant Sharma also managed to get two.&nbsp;

Shami had struck three times for his team to dismiss two set batsman AB de Villiers and Dean Elgar and one new batsman Quinton de Kock in quick succession.

Skipper Faf du Plessis and Vernon Philander were the two batsmen on the crease who generated a partnership to take South Africa&#39;s score to 173/5 at lunch.&nbsp;

Earlier on Day 3, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-kohli-century-keeps-india-in-touch-with-south-africa-29624" target="_blank">Kohli hit a masterly 153 in India`s first innings</a> of 307 to stay in touch in Centurion, even though South Africa stretched 28-run first innings lead to 118 by scoring 90 for two in their second spell at-bat on a storm-shortened afternoon.

&nbsp;

South African debutant pacer, Lungi Ngidi struck twice and claimed KL Rahul's and Virat Kohli's wicket on 4th day of the second Test

India's top order again failed to perform as the visitors left battling to save the second Test reduced to 35 for three at the close on the fourth day of the second Test at SuperSport Park on Tuesday. India lost both openers early along with the key wicket of captain Virat Kohli as India struggled to keep their hopes alive in the series. South African debutant pacer, Lungi Ngidi struck twice to claim KL Rahul and Virat Kohli. Opener Rahul managed just 4 runs and with skipper Virat Kohli out lbw for just 5 runs. Parthiv Patel batted defiantly to end the day with Pujara with India still needing 252 runs to win on the last day. Earlier, Indian opener Murli Vijay lost his wicket to Rabada after scoring 9 runs as India struggled early in the second innings. South Africa leading the series 1-0 did not let up, piling on the pressure as the Indian batsmen crumbled under sustained aggression. Also read: Virat Kohli found guilty of 'misbehaving' with umpires, fined The main highlight of South Africa’s second innings was of AB de Villiers and Dean Elgar, scoring 80 and 61 respectively. "It's massive for us and I think it's massive for India, knowing he's not batting," said South Africa opener Dean Elgar. "He's a very special batsman, as we saw in the first innings. I'm sitting here with a smile on my face because he's one less very competitive, extremely talented batsman we have to deal with," he added. A few big moments in the last two overs. First snicko picked up an edge that SA did no appeal for when Pujara was facing up to Morkel. Then there's a huge appeal for Ngidi against Patel. SA opt to rightly not review. India 28/3 #ProteaFire #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/cnAZ2mY1x8 — Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) January 16, 2018 × Earlier, Mohammed Shami's four-wicket haul had South Africa all out for 258 runs in their second innings during the final session. The Proteas managed to set India a mammoth target of 287 at the Centurion. For India, apart from Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah took three wickets and Ishant Sharma also managed to get two. Shami had struck three times for his team to dismiss two set batsman AB de Villiers and Dean Elgar and one new batsman Quinton de Kock in quick succession. Skipper Faf du Plessis and Vernon Philander were the two batsmen on the crease who generated a partnership to take South Africa's score to 173/5 at lunch. Earlier on Day 3, Kohli hit a masterly 153 in India`s first innings of 307 to stay in touch in Centurion, even though South Africa stretched 28-run first innings lead to 118 by scoring 90 for two in their second spell at-bat on a storm-shortened afternoon.

2nd Test: Parthiv, Pujara defy South Africa after top order fails

South Africa vs India day 2 of the second test match at Centurion favoured Indian bowlers. The Proteas were dismissed for 335 runs in their first innings.

Virat Kohli faced so much criticism for his strange selections and even Sunil Gavaskar had put up a question over replacing Ishant Sharma with Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

But Ishant Sharma proved his worth by taking 3 wickets in the first innings of the second Test.

Faf du Plessis scored 63 runs for his team but Ishant Sharma struck twice and brought the team back in the game by seeing off Rabada and Faf du Plessis.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Innings Break! South Africa all out for 335 (Markram 94, Amla 82; Ashwin 4/113) <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvIND</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FreedomSeries?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FreedomSeries</a> <a href="https://t.co/EGkzljOSBv">pic.twitter.com/EGkzljOSBv</a>
&mdash; BCCI (@BCCI) <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/952478596810997760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Though, the first hour of day 2&nbsp;was full of madness when Rabada got two lifelines, one when captain Kohli dropped his catch and second when Hardik and Shami let another opportunity after the two got confused of who what take the catch.&nbsp;

The first wicket of the day was of Keshav Maharaj who scored 18 runs&nbsp;for the team and was taken by Shami. It was his 100th Test wicket.

On day 1, Ravichandran Ashwin got two wickets&nbsp;to get rid of both the openers&nbsp;Dean Elgar and&nbsp;Aiden Markram, though&nbsp;Markram missed the century&nbsp;as he got out after scoring 94 runs.

For India, the team management replaced wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha and opener Shikhar Dhawan with Parthiv Patel and KL Rahul, after they failed to play along with the bouncers and seaming conditions.

South Africa

Scorecard:

Dean Elgar 31, Aiden Markram 94, Hashim Amla 82, AB de Villiers 20, Faf du Plessis 63, Quinton de Kock 0, Vernon Philander 0, Keshav Maharaj 18, Kagiso Rabada 11, Morne Morkel 6 and Lungisani Ngidi not out 1.

Fall of wickets: (First Innings)

85-1 (Dean Elgar, 29.3 over), 148-2 (Aiden Markram, 47.3 over), 199-3 (AB de Villiers, 62.4 over), 246-4 (Hashim Amla, 80.5over), 250-5 (Quinton de Kock, 81.1 over), 251-6 (Vernon Philander, 83), 282-7 (Keshav Maharaj, 98.5 over), 324-8 (Kagiso Rabada, 110.3 over), 333-9 (Faf du Plessis, 112.4 over) and 335-10 (Morne Morkel, 113.5 over).

&nbsp;

The Proteas has set a total of 335 in the first innings of second Test match

South Africa vs India day 2 of the second test match at Centurion favoured Indian bowlers. The Proteas were dismissed for 335 runs in their first innings. Virat Kohli faced so much criticism for his strange selections and even Sunil Gavaskar had put up a question over replacing Ishant Sharma with Bhuvneshwar Kumar. But Ishant Sharma proved his worth by taking 3 wickets in the first innings of the second Test. Faf du Plessis scored 63 runs for his team but Ishant Sharma struck twice and brought the team back in the game by seeing off Rabada and Faf du Plessis. Innings Break! South Africa all out for 335 (Markram 94, Amla 82; Ashwin 4/113) #SAvIND #FreedomSeries pic.twitter.com/EGkzljOSBv — BCCI (@BCCI) January 14, 2018 × Though, the first hour of day 2 was full of madness when Rabada got two lifelines, one when captain Kohli dropped his catch and second when Hardik and Shami let another opportunity after the two got confused of who what take the catch. The first wicket of the day was of Keshav Maharaj who scored 18 runs for the team and was taken by Shami. It was his 100th Test wicket. On day 1, Ravichandran Ashwin got two wickets to get rid of both the openers Dean Elgar and Aiden Markram, though Markram missed the century as he got out after scoring 94 runs. For India, the team management replaced wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha and opener Shikhar Dhawan with Parthiv Patel and KL Rahul, after they failed to play along with the bouncers and seaming conditions. South Africa Scorecard: Dean Elgar 31, Aiden Markram 94, Hashim Amla 82, AB de Villiers 20, Faf du Plessis 63, Quinton de Kock 0, Vernon Philander 0, Keshav Maharaj 18, Kagiso Rabada 11, Morne Morkel 6 and Lungisani Ngidi not out 1. Fall of wickets: (First Innings) 85-1 (Dean Elgar, 29.3 over), 148-2 (Aiden Markram, 47.3 over), 199-3 (AB de Villiers, 62.4 over), 246-4 (Hashim Amla, 80.5over), 250-5 (Quinton de Kock, 81.1 over), 251-6 (Vernon Philander, 83), 282-7 (Keshav Maharaj, 98.5 over), 324-8 (Kagiso Rabada, 110.3 over), 333-9 (Faf du Plessis, 112.4 over) and 335-10 (Morne Morkel, 113.5 over).

Day 2: Ishant Sharma strikes twice to restrict South Africa to 335

It was a great start for Virat Kohli-led team India on Day 4, as Mohammed Shami struck three times to dismiss Hashim Amla, Kagiso Rabada Vernon Philander.&nbsp;

After Shami, Bumrah too responded in kind and took two crucial wickets of Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock.

South Africa, who were two wickets down on Day 2, lost five&nbsp;wickets in quick succession with their score reaching 95/6 after 34 overs.

The day three play was called off after heavy rainfall continued to lash Cape Town on Sunday.

After morning session was washed out, it was assumed that the teams could resume before the scheduled tea interval, as the rain stopped. &nbsp;But it was for less than half an hour.&nbsp;

India will now look to dismiss the South African cricket team quickly in a bid to salvage any chances of a result.

The first innings&nbsp;for India was quite unfortunate when bowlers did their bit by holding the South African side&nbsp;for 286 but the batting order was shattered&nbsp;by the Proteas pacers when Indian side somehow saved the follow-on.

The top batsmen and stars of Test cricket could not perform, only Hardik Pandya went on the thrilling counter-attack by scoring 93 crucial&nbsp;runs for his team but missing an elusive century.

He also took 2 quick wickets of Aiden Markram and Dean Elgar before the wrap-up of the second day of the first Test against&nbsp;South Africa.

South Africa, who were two wickets down on Day 2, lost four wickets in quick succession

It was a great start for Virat Kohli-led team India on Day 4, as Mohammed Shami struck three times to dismiss Hashim Amla, Kagiso Rabada Vernon Philander. After Shami, Bumrah too responded in kind and took two crucial wickets of Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock. South Africa, who were two wickets down on Day 2, lost five wickets in quick succession with their score reaching 95/6 after 34 overs. The day three play was called off after heavy rainfall continued to lash Cape Town on Sunday. After morning session was washed out, it was assumed that the teams could resume before the scheduled tea interval, as the rain stopped. But it was for less than half an hour. India will now look to dismiss the South African cricket team quickly in a bid to salvage any chances of a result. The first innings for India was quite unfortunate when bowlers did their bit by holding the South African side for 286 but the batting order was shattered by the Proteas pacers when Indian side somehow saved the follow-on. The top batsmen and stars of Test cricket could not perform, only Hardik Pandya went on the thrilling counter-attack by scoring 93 crucial runs for his team but missing an elusive century. He also took 2 quick wickets of Aiden Markram and Dean Elgar before the wrap-up of the second day of the first Test against South Africa.

Shami, Bumrah strike for India as Proteas lose 5 wickets early on Day 4

The first innings&nbsp;for India was quite unfortunate when bowlers did their bit by holding the South African side&nbsp;for 286 but the India batting order was shattered&nbsp;by the Proteas pacers when Indian side somehow saved the follow-on.

The top batsmen and stars of Test cricket could not perform, only Hardik Pandya went on the thrilling counter-attack by scoring 93 crucial&nbsp;runs for his team but missing an elusive century. He also took 2 quick wickets of Aiden Markram and Dean Elgar before the wrap-up of the second day of the first Test against&nbsp;South Africa.

When all the batsmen were falling into the trap&nbsp;of South African bowlers then Hardik found a determined ally in Bhuvneshwar Kumar, together they made a partnership of 99 runs. He also denies the talk of pitch behaviour and additional swing by playing some handsome strokes.

As the 3rd-day play was called off due to the heavy rains. Now, Indian bowlers have less time to strike again because fewer overs now, around 200 overs are left in the game.&nbsp;Though, the rain proved to be a salvation for India side. If the Proteas had taken a huge lead on Day 3 then it would have become impossible for India side to save the game from there.

Hashim Amla and Kagiso Rabada will continue their game on day 4 as the weather reports say zero precipitation and a bright sunny day to have a game of cricket.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Cricket fans we&rsquo;re pleased to alert you that we&rsquo;ll have some action out on the field today <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvsIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvsIND</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ProteaFire?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ProteaFire</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FreedomSeries?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FreedomSeries</a> <a href="https://t.co/nsnkxrB7mZ">pic.twitter.com/nsnkxrB7mZ</a>
&mdash; Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficialCSA/status/950246422535958528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

With an advantage of 142 runs and 8 wickets in hands, South Africa is set to take a huge lead. But still, there is enough time&nbsp;to get a result as the forecast is better for Day 4 and Day 5 as well.

Now, India bowlers will be under an immense&nbsp;pressure of taking wickets, meanwhile, Ashwin can also produce&nbsp;results by taking some wickets on the damp pitch.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Much better 
Much brighter 
Much clear 
Much sunshine ☀️ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvIND</a> <a href="https://t.co/xyqHgqm6h0">pic.twitter.com/xyqHgqm6h0</a>
&mdash; BCCI (@BCCI) <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/950267562528526337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

With an advantage of 142 runs and 8 wickets in hands, South Africa is set to take a huge lead

The first innings for India was quite unfortunate when bowlers did their bit by holding the South African side for 286 but the India batting order was shattered by the Proteas pacers when Indian side somehow saved the follow-on. The top batsmen and stars of Test cricket could not perform, only Hardik Pandya went on the thrilling counter-attack by scoring 93 crucial runs for his team but missing an elusive century. He also took 2 quick wickets of Aiden Markram and Dean Elgar before the wrap-up of the second day of the first Test against South Africa. When all the batsmen were falling into the trap of South African bowlers then Hardik found a determined ally in Bhuvneshwar Kumar, together they made a partnership of 99 runs. He also denies the talk of pitch behaviour and additional swing by playing some handsome strokes. As the 3rd-day play was called off due to the heavy rains. Now, Indian bowlers have less time to strike again because fewer overs now, around 200 overs are left in the game. Though, the rain proved to be a salvation for India side. If the Proteas had taken a huge lead on Day 3 then it would have become impossible for India side to save the game from there. Hashim Amla and Kagiso Rabada will continue their game on day 4 as the weather reports say zero precipitation and a bright sunny day to have a game of cricket. Cricket fans we’re pleased to alert you that we’ll have some action out on the field today #SAvsIND #ProteaFire #FreedomSeries pic.twitter.com/nsnkxrB7mZ — Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) January 8, 2018 × With an advantage of 142 runs and 8 wickets in hands, South Africa is set to take a huge lead. But still, there is enough time to get a result as the forecast is better for Day 4 and Day 5 as well. Now, India bowlers will be under an immense pressure of taking wickets, meanwhile, Ashwin can also produce results by taking some wickets on the damp pitch. Much better Much brighter Much clear Much sunshine ☀️ #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/xyqHgqm6h0 — BCCI (@BCCI) January 8, 2018 ×

India vs South Africa: India under pressure on Day 4

His bowlers set it up nicely by taking 20 South African wickets but a dejected India captain Virat Kohli said that it would be of little consequence if the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/india-135-all-out-south-africa-wins-1st-test-by-72-runs-28890">batsmen don&#39;t put up a better show </a>in the upcoming matches.

India&#39;s star-studded batting line-up scored 209 and 135 in both essays in their 72-run defeat in the first Test.

&quot;Taking 20 wickets to win a Test match is the priority. But if your batsmen don&#39;t bat well, then it doesn&#39;t matter. If you are not getting close to their total, it doesn&#39;t matter if you have taken 20 wickets or not. We needed to bat better than what we did,&quot; Kohli didn&#39;t beat around the bush after yet another humiliating defeat outside the sub-continent.

The skipper felt for his bowling attack which dismissed South Africa for 130 in the second innings and kept the victory target at a gettable 208.

&quot;Definitely, we feel for the bowlers because they bowled their hearts out. A guy like Jasprit (Bumrah) bowled beautifully in his first Test match, he troubled the batsmen a lot this morning. Mohammed Shami bowled his heart out, Bhuvi was good as well and not having done the job, they will also be gutted about it,&quot; the disappointment was palpable in skipper&#39;s voice.

&quot;At the same time as I said they know that can repeat that performance and if we get a lively wicket again, we can exploit those conditions,&quot; said Kohli.

He was all praise for Hardik Pandya for his all-round effort in this Test match.

&quot;Hardik Pandya showed great character in the first innings to get us to that total. We needed if not one big partnership, then every wicket adding 30-35 would have done the job for us. We needed to show more character with the bat there is no question about it,&quot; he added.

Kohli spoke about the intent that is needed to be shown with perfect blend of defence and attack while batting on these adverse conditions, which are completely different from the belters on Indian sub-continent.

&quot;We lost four wickets in four overs. If you do that, it is very tough for you to come back and win Test matches from there. You want their bowlers to come back for second and third spells. We failed to do that and need to apply ourselves better.

&quot;At the same time, we need to have intent because the kind of bowling attack they have. You can&#39;t even be in a zone of not having intent and see off 35-40 overs. You need to find the perfect balance to do well in South Africa especially where there is more bounce. You cannot be casual at the same time you cannot have loose shots also,&quot; he observed.

Kohli did not pay much heed to the criticism about going into the Test match without any warm-up game.

&quot;We were very well-prepared. I don&#39;t think we felt any lack of preparation. Even they got out for 130 in the second innings and they play here all the time. It was a wicket where things were happening every day. We let ourselves down with the bat, that&#39;s for sure.&quot;

Kohli was all praise for man of the match Vernon Philander, who took career-best 6 for 42 to dismantle India.

&quot;Vernon is a different kind of bowler and he has different strengths. He will always pitch the ball in those areas in uncertainty and that&#39;s his strength. He will also get the ball to seam both ways also,&quot; Philander said.

&quot;You have to be at the top of your game every time you play against this bowling attack because of the variety as well. He bowled really well in the second innings when the ball wasn&#39;t doing as much.

&quot;At one stage when Rohit and I were playing, we felt pretty comfortable. We lost four wickets in four overs, which doesn?t really help the team?s cause especially when you are chasing a low total,&quot; he added.

The skipper also rated the Newlands track as an &quot;outstanding&quot; one.

&quot;The pitch was outstanding. I really liked the kind of wicket this was. I think it was great for Test cricket - getting a result in four days despite losing a day&#39;s play, it was definitely not one sided, both sides were in it at different stages.&quot;

Kohli urged his boys to comeback in the next Test with more intensity than ever.

&quot;To not having got the job done, it hurts and it should hurt because that&#39;s the only way you can rectify the mistakes and come out with more motivation in the next match,&quot; he signed off.&nbsp;

Virat Kohli urged his boys to comeback in the next Test with more intensity than ever. 
&nbsp;

His bowlers set it up nicely by taking 20 South African wickets but a dejected India captain Virat Kohli said that it would be of little consequence if the batsmen don't put up a better show in the upcoming matches

His bowlers set it up nicely by taking 20 South African wickets but a dejected India captain Virat Kohli said that it would be of little consequence if the batsmen don't put up a better show in the upcoming matches. India's star-studded batting line-up scored 209 and 135 in both essays in their 72-run defeat in the first Test. "Taking 20 wickets to win a Test match is the priority. But if your batsmen don't bat well, then it doesn't matter. If you are not getting close to their total, it doesn't matter if you have taken 20 wickets or not. We needed to bat better than what we did," Kohli didn't beat around the bush after yet another humiliating defeat outside the sub-continent. The skipper felt for his bowling attack which dismissed South Africa for 130 in the second innings and kept the victory target at a gettable 208. "Definitely, we feel for the bowlers because they bowled their hearts out. A guy like Jasprit (Bumrah) bowled beautifully in his first Test match, he troubled the batsmen a lot this morning. Mohammed Shami bowled his heart out, Bhuvi was good as well and not having done the job, they will also be gutted about it," the disappointment was palpable in skipper's voice. "At the same time as I said they know that can repeat that performance and if we get a lively wicket again, we can exploit those conditions," said Kohli. He was all praise for Hardik Pandya for his all-round effort in this Test match. "Hardik Pandya showed great character in the first innings to get us to that total. We needed if not one big partnership, then every wicket adding 30-35 would have done the job for us. We needed to show more character with the bat there is no question about it," he added. Kohli spoke about the intent that is needed to be shown with perfect blend of defence and attack while batting on these adverse conditions, which are completely different from the belters on Indian sub-continent. "We lost four wickets in four overs. If you do that, it is very tough for you to come back and win Test matches from there. You want their bowlers to come back for second and third spells. We failed to do that and need to apply ourselves better. "At the same time, we need to have intent because the kind of bowling attack they have. You can't even be in a zone of not having intent and see off 35-40 overs. You need to find the perfect balance to do well in South Africa especially where there is more bounce. You cannot be casual at the same time you cannot have loose shots also," he observed. Kohli did not pay much heed to the criticism about going into the Test match without any warm-up game. "We were very well-prepared. I don't think we felt any lack of preparation. Even they got out for 130 in the second innings and they play here all the time. It was a wicket where things were happening every day. We let ourselves down with the bat, that's for sure." Kohli was all praise for man of the match Vernon Philander, who took career-best 6 for 42 to dismantle India. "Vernon is a different kind of bowler and he has different strengths. He will always pitch the ball in those areas in uncertainty and that's his strength. He will also get the ball to seam both ways also," Philander said. "You have to be at the top of your game every time you play against this bowling attack because of the variety as well. He bowled really well in the second innings when the ball wasn't doing as much. "At one stage when Rohit and I were playing, we felt pretty comfortable. We lost four wickets in four overs, which doesn?t really help the team?s cause especially when you are chasing a low total," he added. The skipper also rated the Newlands track as an "outstanding" one. "The pitch was outstanding. I really liked the kind of wicket this was. I think it was great for Test cricket - getting a result in four days despite losing a day's play, it was definitely not one sided, both sides were in it at different stages." Kohli urged his boys to comeback in the next Test with more intensity than ever. "To not having got the job done, it hurts and it should hurt because that's the only way you can rectify the mistakes and come out with more motivation in the next match," he signed off. Virat Kohli urged his boys to comeback in the next Test with more intensity than ever.

Taking 20 wickets of little value if we don't bat well: Virat Kohli

Heavy showers in Cape Town delayed the start of day three play between India and South Africa on Sunday.

The Virat Kohli-led Indian team is under immense pressure as the hosts have been dominating the proceedings so far.&nbsp;

On day 2, South Africa was able to build a sizeable second-innings lead after reaching 65 for the loss of two at stumps.&nbsp;

Hashim Amla and night-watchman Kagiso Rabada will seek today to extend the host&#39;s advantage of 142 runs with remaining eight wickets.

The South African seamers had bowled India out for 209 on a lively wicket offering plenty of assistance for the bowlers.

For India, Hardik Pandya played a blistering knock of 93 runs to save its drowning team which at one point were 92/7 after lunch. &nbsp;

The all-rounder proved his mettle by helping his team inch closer to South Africa&#39;s total of 286.&nbsp;

In the second innings, Hardik contributed with the ball as well by dismissing the Proteas openers at an early stage.&nbsp;

South Africa host India in three tests this month with the next two to be played in Pretoria and Johannesburg.

Hardik Pandya played a blistering knock of 93 runs to save its drowning team which at one point were 92/7 after lunch

Heavy showers in Cape Town delayed the start of day three play between India and South Africa on Sunday. The Virat Kohli-led Indian team is under immense pressure as the hosts have been dominating the proceedings so far. On day 2, South Africa was able to build a sizeable second-innings lead after reaching 65 for the loss of two at stumps. Hashim Amla and night-watchman Kagiso Rabada will seek today to extend the host's advantage of 142 runs with remaining eight wickets. The South African seamers had bowled India out for 209 on a lively wicket offering plenty of assistance for the bowlers. For India, Hardik Pandya played a blistering knock of 93 runs to save its drowning team which at one point were 92/7 after lunch. The all-rounder proved his mettle by helping his team inch closer to South Africa's total of 286. In the second innings, Hardik contributed with the ball as well by dismissing the Proteas openers at an early stage. South Africa host India in three tests this month with the next two to be played in Pretoria and Johannesburg.

India vs South Africa: Day 3 start delayed due to rain

The day three play between India and South Africa was called off on Sunday after heavy rainfall continued to lash Cape Town.

After morning session was washed out, it was assumed that the teams could resume before the scheduled tea interval, as the rain stopped. But it was for less than half an hour.&nbsp;

On day 2, South Africa was able to build a sizeable second-innings lead after reaching 65 for the loss of two at stumps.&nbsp;

Hashim Amla and night-watchman Kagiso Rabada will seek tomorrow to extend the host&#39;s advantage of 142 runs with remaining eight wickets.

The South African seamers had bowled India out for 209 on a lively wicket offering plenty of assistance for the bowlers.

For India, Hardik Pandya played a blistering knock of 93 runs to save its drowning team which at one point were 92/7 after lunch. &nbsp;

The all-rounder proved his mettle by helping his team inch closer to South Africa&#39;s total of 286.&nbsp;

In the second innings, Hardik contributed with the ball as well by dismissing the Proteas openers at an early stage.&nbsp;

South Africa host India in three tests this month with the next two to be played in Pretoria and Johannesburg

The rain stopped in the day for less than half an hour

The day three play between India and South Africa was called off on Sunday after heavy rainfall continued to lash Cape Town. After morning session was washed out, it was assumed that the teams could resume before the scheduled tea interval, as the rain stopped. But it was for less than half an hour. On day 2, South Africa was able to build a sizeable second-innings lead after reaching 65 for the loss of two at stumps. Hashim Amla and night-watchman Kagiso Rabada will seek tomorrow to extend the host's advantage of 142 runs with remaining eight wickets. The South African seamers had bowled India out for 209 on a lively wicket offering plenty of assistance for the bowlers. For India, Hardik Pandya played a blistering knock of 93 runs to save its drowning team which at one point were 92/7 after lunch. The all-rounder proved his mettle by helping his team inch closer to South Africa's total of 286. In the second innings, Hardik contributed with the ball as well by dismissing the Proteas openers at an early stage. South Africa host India in three tests this month with the next two to be played in Pretoria and Johannesburg

India vs South Africa: Day 3 play called off due to rain

India bowlers are going extra miles to prove their abilities even in adverse conditions. As the day goes on, the South African side is falling apart one by one.

It seemed that the shocker start did not hamper much the middle order batting of South Africa as AB de Villiers and captain Faf du Plessis looked comfortable with the bat even after the failure of the top order but Indian pacers hit soon.

When both the players were trying to give a rhythm then Jasprit Bumrah took&nbsp;AB de Villiers&#39; wicket. He&nbsp;contributed 65 runs of 84 for his team but could not stay longer on the pitch as stunning Bumrah got him with a full length&nbsp;around off stump delivery. ABD looked positive throughout his innings but the South African &#39;stars&#39;&nbsp;are not shining brightly in the first Test match.

Soon after that, in 35th over, Pandya got another important wicket. He took the skipper on a short ball and&nbsp;Saha caught it behind the stumps. A&nbsp;poor and unnecessary shot by Faf du Plessis made him walk to the pavilion after scoring 62 runs.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/sa-vs-india-bhuveneshwar-strikes-early-28618">India vs South Africa Live Updates: F du Plessis falls to Pandya, South Africa in trouble</a>

South Africa won the toss and elected&nbsp;to&nbsp;bat first in the first match of Freedom Series&nbsp;Trophy.&nbsp;As the pitch demanded, Virat Kohli attacked with four pacers Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar to tackle the Proteas.

India struck early as in-form&nbsp;Bhuvneshwar Kumar shattered&nbsp;the top batting order of South Africa.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
At Lunch on Day 1 of the 1st Test, South Africa are 107/3. 
 
UPDATES - <a href="https://t.co/XYC5wpnAmX">https://t.co/XYC5wpnAmX</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FreedomSeries?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FreedomSeries</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvIND</a> <a href="https://t.co/jcMetQ5vPK">pic.twitter.com/jcMetQ5vPK</a>
&mdash; BCCI (@BCCI) <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/949226866157674496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 5, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

India&#39;s gamble of playing with four fast bowlers paid off as&nbsp;Bhuvneshwar send the opening batsman Dean Elgar and Aiden Markram back to pavilion also he took the crucial&nbsp;wicket off&nbsp;Hashim Amla.

South Africa was reduced to 12/3 in the first few minutes of the game at Newlands, Cape Town.

&nbsp;

Jasprit Bumrah took?AB de Villiers' wicket whereas Pandya got captain's wicket

India bowlers are going extra miles to prove their abilities even in adverse conditions. As the day goes on, the South African side is falling apart one by one. It seemed that the shocker start did not hamper much the middle order batting of South Africa as AB de Villiers and captain Faf du Plessis looked comfortable with the bat even after the failure of the top order but Indian pacers hit soon. When both the players were trying to give a rhythm then Jasprit Bumrah took AB de Villiers' wicket. He contributed 65 runs of 84 for his team but could not stay longer on the pitch as stunning Bumrah got him with a full length around off stump delivery. ABD looked positive throughout his innings but the South African 'stars' are not shining brightly in the first Test match. Soon after that, in 35th over, Pandya got another important wicket. He took the skipper on a short ball and Saha caught it behind the stumps. A poor and unnecessary shot by Faf du Plessis made him walk to the pavilion after scoring 62 runs. India vs South Africa Live Updates: F du Plessis falls to Pandya, South Africa in trouble South Africa won the toss and elected to bat first in the first match of Freedom Series Trophy. As the pitch demanded, Virat Kohli attacked with four pacers Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar to tackle the Proteas. India struck early as in-form Bhuvneshwar Kumar shattered the top batting order of South Africa. At Lunch on Day 1 of the 1st Test, South Africa are 107/3. UPDATES - https://t.co/XYC5wpnAmX #FreedomSeries #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/jcMetQ5vPK — BCCI (@BCCI) January 5, 2018 × India's gamble of playing with four fast bowlers paid off as Bhuvneshwar send the opening batsman Dean Elgar and Aiden Markram back to pavilion also he took the crucial wicket off Hashim Amla. South Africa was reduced to 12/3 in the first few minutes of the game at Newlands, Cape Town.

1st Test: Indian pacers destroy South African batting order

Indian pacers produced one of their best performances in the first Test match against South Africain Newlands, Cape Town.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar took four wickets including three in his first three overs as India&#39;s bowlers gained the ascendancy on the first day of the first Test against South Africa at Newlands on Friday.

South Africa was struggling at 230 for seven at tea despite half-centuries from AB de Villiers and captain Faf du Plessis. Kumar had figures of four for 68.

Du Plessis said batting first on a well-grassed pitch was a tricky decision and a disastrous start must have reinforced his misgivings.

Kumar gained appreciable movement off a well-grassed pitch to plunge the South African innings into disarray at 12 for three.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Innings Break! South Africa all out for 286 runs. 
 
Updates - <a href="https://t.co/XYC5wpnAmX">https://t.co/XYC5wpnAmX</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FreedomSeries?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FreedomSeries</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvIND</a> <a href="https://t.co/XUDejWE30T">pic.twitter.com/XUDejWE30T</a>
&mdash; BCCI (@BCCI) <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/949293909091401728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 5, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

After some spirited batting by South Africa, Kumar took another wicket shortly before tea to put the world&#39;s top-ranked Test team in a strong position against their second-placed opponents.

De Villiers and Du Plessis put on 114 for the fourth wicket, with De Villiers in sparkling form as he hit 65 off 84 balls with 11 fours.&nbsp;

He showed intent from the start of his innings, hitting four fours off Kumar?s fifth over to launch a South African counter-attack.

De Villiers missed a drive against new cap Jasprit Bumrah and was bowled. Du Plessis went on to make 62 off 104 balls with 12 fours before he was caught behind off Hardik Pandya.

Quinton de Kock (43) and Vernon Philander (23) put on a rapid 60 for the sixth wicket before De Kock was caught behind by Kumar and Philander was bowled by Mohammed Shami.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Bhuvneshwar Kumar took four wickets including three in his first three overs

Indian pacers produced one of their best performances in the first Test match against South Africain Newlands, Cape Town. Bhuvneshwar Kumar took four wickets including three in his first three overs as India's bowlers gained the ascendancy on the first day of the first Test against South Africa at Newlands on Friday. South Africa was struggling at 230 for seven at tea despite half-centuries from AB de Villiers and captain Faf du Plessis. Kumar had figures of four for 68. Du Plessis said batting first on a well-grassed pitch was a tricky decision and a disastrous start must have reinforced his misgivings. Kumar gained appreciable movement off a well-grassed pitch to plunge the South African innings into disarray at 12 for three. Innings Break! South Africa all out for 286 runs. Updates - https://t.co/XYC5wpnAmX #FreedomSeries #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/XUDejWE30T — BCCI (@BCCI) January 5, 2018 × After some spirited batting by South Africa, Kumar took another wicket shortly before tea to put the world's top-ranked Test team in a strong position against their second-placed opponents. De Villiers and Du Plessis put on 114 for the fourth wicket, with De Villiers in sparkling form as he hit 65 off 84 balls with 11 fours. He showed intent from the start of his innings, hitting four fours off Kumar?s fifth over to launch a South African counter-attack. De Villiers missed a drive against new cap Jasprit Bumrah and was bowled. Du Plessis went on to make 62 off 104 balls with 12 fours before he was caught behind off Hardik Pandya. Quinton de Kock (43) and Vernon Philander (23) put on a rapid 60 for the sixth wicket before De Kock was caught behind by Kumar and Philander was bowled by Mohammed Shami.

Watch: How South Africa stumbled on day 1

india-vs-south-africa

India Vs South Africa, News on India Vs South Africa, stories on India Vs South Africa, articles on India Vs South Africa, India Vs South Africa stories at Wion, India Vs South Africa news, India Vs South Africa latest news

india vs-south-africa