South Africa 256 for 5 (Elgar 140*, Bedingham 56, Bumrah 2-48) lead India 245 (Rahul 101, Rabada 5-59) by 11 runs
India were dismal, particularly just after lunch when they began proceedings with a debutant and their third-choice fast bowler. Those eight overs produced almost as many runs (42) as the 16 that preceded them (49) and by the time Rohit Sharma realised his mistake, it was too late.
But Elgar didn’t. Because he doesn’t push at the ball. He fared no better than his partner, often being squared up, occasionally taking blows on the body. But the thing he did so well was not to follow the seam movement that was on offer. He had a plan and he was content to look ugly for it because who cares when it also gives him 140 runs off 211 balls in his final Test series.
India, on the other hand, were struggling to cope because their back-up bowlers were having an off day. Prasidh and Shardul Thakur gave up more than five runs an over in the afternoon, and riding on their problems, South Africa went from 49 for 1 at lunch to 194 for 3 at tea. That’s 145 runs in 33 overs – the most they have ever scored in a single session of Test cricket since 2018.
David Bedingham scored a half-century on his Test debut and he really did look the part. His game, nurtured over 87 first-class games, seems to be built around weight transfer. He doesn’t move a great deal to meet the ball. But with what little he does, he makes sure his weight goes into the shot. There was flick off Jasprit Bumrah that typified this strength. It was the kind of ball that right-handers could fall over and end up lbw if they weren’t careful. But Bedingham was careful. He met it late, under his eyes, and didn’t overhit it.
Bumrah removed Tony de Zorzi to end a 93-run second-wicket partnership and nine balls later, he topped it with Keegan Petersen’s wicket. India struck twice again late in the day, which might in a way sting them really, because it was proof of how hard it was to build a partnership in Centurion. They let South Africa off the hook too often and too easily which is why they are now officially playing catch-up, trailing as they are by 11 runs when the umpires took everyone off for bad light.