SA crumble against India’s spin twins

BANGALORE: India’s spin twins Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja shared eight wickets as South Africa crumbled for 214 on the opening day of the second Test in Bangalore on Saturday.

A.B. de Villiers marked his 100th Test with a stroke-filled 85 to bolster the score after Indian captain Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to field in overcast conditions at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Opener Dean Elgar’s 38 was the next highest score as the top-ranked Proteas, who lost the first Test in Mohali by 108 runs, once again floundered against the spinners on a pitch that held no demons.

India replied with 80 for no loss by stumps with Murali Vijay unbeaten on 28 and Shikhar Dhawan finding form with 45 not out after being dismissed for a pair in Mohali.

South Africa, aiming to bounce back in the four-Test series, were reduced to 120-5 before being dismissed in just 59 overs during the post-tea session to hand India the early advantage.

Off-spinner Ashwin wreaked havoc with the top order by claiming three of the first five wickets, including two in his opening over when he was brought on to bowl the eighth over.

Ashwin finished with four for 70 to build on his eight-wicket match haul in the first Test.

Left-armer Jadeja, who also took eight scalps in Mohali, returned with four for 50, including the important wicket of de Villiers off the last ball before tea.

De Villiers hit 11 boundaries and a six, before wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha dived in front of the stumps to pick up a low catch.

De Villiers walked in at 45-3 to generous applause from some 23,000 fans who regard him as one of their own due to his stint with the Bangalore team in the Indian Premier League.

He got off the mark with five runs, courtesy of an overthrow by Indian captain Virat Kohli that raced to the fence.

De Villiers, who went to lunch unbeaten on 19, brought up South Africa’s 100 with a superb cover drive off fast bowler Varun Aaron and reached his half-century with a single off Ashwin.

Ashwin trapped Stiaan van Zyl (10) leg-before with his second delivery and had Faf du Plessis (0) caught at short-leg by Cheteshwar Pujara off the fifth to make it 15-2.

Aaron claimed the key wicket of Hashim Amla (7) in the 15th over, uprooting the captain’s off-stump as the Proteas were reduced to 45-3.

Elgar, who plodded to 38 by lunch, was dismissed off the second ball after resumption when he dragged an attempted sweep off Jadeja onto his stumps.

Ashwin had J.P. Duminy snapped up by Ajinkya Rahane in the slips before Jadeja grabbed a return catch off Dane Vilas (15) in a double blow that had the South Africans hopping at 159-6.

The ninth-wicket pair of Kyle Abbott (14) and Morne Morkel (22) put on 37 to steer the tourists past the 200-run mark for the first time in the series.

They had fallen for 184 and 109 in Mohali.

India made two changes from the first Test, bringing in premier fast bowler Ishant Sharma and all-rounder Stuart Binny in place of Umesh Yadav and Amit Mishra.

South Africa replaced the injured pace duo of Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander with Morkel and Abbott. Duminy, who missed the first Test due to injury, returned in place of off-spinner Simon Harmer.

Scoreboard

SOUTH AFRICA (1st Innings):

S. van Zyl lbw b Ashwin 10

D. Elgar b Jadeja 38

F. du Plessis c Pujara b Ashwin 0

H.M. Amla b Aaron 7

A.B. de Villiers c Saha b Jadeja 85

J.P. Duminy c Rahane b Ashwin 15

D.J. Vilas c and b Jadeja 15

K.J. Abbott run out 14

K. Rabada c Pujara b Jadeja 0

M. Morkel c Binny b Ashwin 22