South Africa started Day 2 of the 2nd Test Match of the series against India with the overnight score of 35/1 at the Wanderers in Johannesburg. The Proteas took a 27-run first-innings lead having scored 202 before the Indian bowlers bundling them out. Pacer Shardul Thakur emerged with a stand out performance having bagged as many as seven wickets on Day 2.
Shardul Thakur wrecked havoc against South Africa as India made come back
Shardul Thakur has certainly created an impression of picking up crucial wickets. This time around as well this trait helped the Men in Blue as his triple strike brought India back in the game, leaving South Africa at a nervous 102 for 4 going into lunch on day 2 of the second Test. Thakur is the fourth seamer in the side and raised his game to remove Dean Elgar (28 off 120 balls) and young Keegan Petersen (62 off 118 balls), who looked good en route his maiden half-century in Test cricket.
Then at the stroke of lunch, Shardul Thakur dismissed Rassie van Der Dussen (1 off 17 balls) to a dubious catch from wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant which seemed to have been grassed. From 88 for 1, South Africa lost three wickets for 14 runs in the last half hour to just throw away the advantage. Shardul Thakur got the last wicket of Ngidi as he wrapped up the innings and finished with excellent figures of 7/61. He more than compensated for Mohammed Siraj’s hamstring injury.
Shardul Thakur tallied his first fifer with the wicket of Bavuma, who reached his fifty in the previous ball with an outside edge and in this ball he was moving across, and tried to glance it fine. However, gets a thin edge and Rishabh Pant takes a brilliant catch diving to his left to hold on to the ball.
Although Jasprit Bumrah (0/26 in 13 overs) and Mohammed Shami (1/33 in 14 overs) toiled hard without getting desired results, Thakur came up with a stupendous display against The Proteas.
Coming on to bat, India started scoring on a slow pace. Opener KL Rahul went off early as Jansen made the breakthrough. It was then Mayank Agarwal who got dismissed as Duanne Olivier trapped him. India currently stand at 85/2 at Stumps Day 2.
