That's it for the day. It felt like coming as dark clouds loomed over Centurion and once the rain came in, a restart felt difficult. India will be much relieved, they have weathered the storm and reached a competitive total with still two wickets in hand and a set KL Rahul on crease. South Africa will be disappointed as they have let go the stranglehold on India and Temba Bavuma with his injury being uncertain for the remainder of the match and the series.
Despite Jasprit Bumrah losing his wicket, KL Rahul has not backed out of the fight and rather took on the Proteas bowling scoring quickly and taking India over the mark of 200, which is a competitive score given the conditions. Just when India were gathering some momentum behind them, rain has stopped play and the Umpires instructed the players to go inside the dressing room.
KL Rahul has been in brilliant form since his comeback from injury and he plays his first Test match since recovery, he scores a stunning half-century showing the potential he possesses with the bat in tough conditions batting in the middle order. With not many wicket remaining in hand, KL Rahul still has a task cut out for him.
Out! Kagiso Rabada returns to the attack and he has another. Just the last ball, Shardul Thakur got hit on the arm and was in pain. As he returned to the crease after taking treatment, he drived the next ball on the up straight into the hands of Dean Elgar at short mid-off. The partnership is finally broken and South Africa will look to bowl out India quickly.
India has found way to get themselves out of the pressure situation they were in thanks to experienced KL Rahul and Shardul Thakur who put on a gritty show again to help India negotiate a tricky period. They have stitched a 42-run partnership already and looking to accumulate as much as possible till the Proteas strike bowlers return to attack again.
OUT! One more wicket for Kagiso Rabada and he is surely turning it on! The Proteas' fast bowler dismissed Ravichandran Ashwin by having him edge to slips where substitute fielder Wiaan Mulder ended up taking a good catch! India are reeling now. Ravichandran Ashwin c (sub)Wiaan Mulder b Kagiso Rabada 8(11)
OUT! Kagiso Rabada has dismissed Virat Kohli and what a big, big wicket this is for South Africa! Kohli was looking so good today but was completely outplayed by a superb ball that angled in a bit before it left and it caught the edge of his bat. There was little Kohli could do here with Rabada landing a body blow to India's innings. Virat Kohli c Kyle Verreynne b Kagiso Rabada 38(64)
OUT! Kagiso Rabada has castled Shreyas Iyer! The ball kept low and Iyer brings his bat down way late with the ball crashing into the stumps! A big blow for India as this partnership was looking good. Shreyas Iyer b Kagiso Rabada 31(50)
India go into the lunch break with some confidence after Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer consolidated the innings following the collapse of the top-order. Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill could not make any impact in this first innings and their dismissals left India reeling at 24/3 at one point. Kohli and Iyer, dropped by the South Africa fielders, made the most of the reprieves.
Uh oh! Temba Bavuma has seemed to have hurt his hamstring while chasing a ball hit was driven by Virat Kohli. He has left the field and now, Dean Elgar is in charge of the team. It is a blow for the South African team.
India and South Africa are set to clash in the Boxing Day Test match, at the SuperSport Park in Centurion, starting December 26. Fans would be keen on watching some intense cricketing action between the two nations as India hope to win a Test series in South Africa for the first time in history. But there remains a major rain threat hovering over this match. As per weather reports, there is a good chance that play will be interrupted by rain the first two days of this Test match. The Indian cricket team did not have a practice session on Monday (December 25) due to rain and it remains to be seen if the weather will make an impact on this match. India vs South Africa, 1st Test 2023, Centurion Weather Report: Check Out the Rain Forecast and Pitch Report at SuperSport Park.
The curator of SuperSport Park had earlier stated that there is a good chance rain will play spoilsport on the opening two days of this match. For Day 1 (December 26) of the IND vs SA 1st Test, the weather forecast does not look very good. There is a good chance of thunderstorms during the time of the match. Even if there is no rain, the cloud cover is 84% at the start of the match. Keeping that in mind, fans can expect rain to hamper proceedings on Day 1 of this IND vs SA 1st Test. 'You Will Get an Answer for Sure in Due Course' Says Team India Captain Rohit Sharma On His T20I Future.
The overcast conditions in Centurion will certainly offer some help for the fast bowlers and the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Kagiso Rabada would enjoy bowling in such conditions. India would be aiming to make history by beating South Africa in their own backyard for the first time in a Test series and for that, they would need to play exceptionally well. In 2021-22, India had won the first Test before losing the next two, going on to concede the series.