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.
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IND vs SA 1st Test 2023 Day 1 Highlights: Rain Interrupts Final Session After KL Rahul Steadies India' Ship Amidst Impressive Outing From South African Bowlers
India and South Africa take on each other in what is expected to be a fascinating Test match, starting from December 26. However, there remains a good chance of rain playing spoilsport. Read below to check Centurion weather updates.
26 Dec, 19:47 (IST)
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.
26 Dec, 19:15 (IST)
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.
26 Dec, 18:25 (IST)
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.
26 Dec, 18:15 (IST)
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.
26 Dec, 17:22 (IST)
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)
26 Dec, 17:06 (IST)
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)
26 Dec, 16:49 (IST)
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)
26 Dec, 16:10 (IST)
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.
26 Dec, 15:36 (IST)
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.
26 Dec, 15:27 (IST)
Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer are out in the middle and are rebuilding India's innings after the side lost three wickets early on. Both batters have been dropped by South Africa and they will look to make the most of the chances.
26 Dec, 14:56 (IST)
OUT! Shubman Gill is the man to fall now and Nandre Burger gets his second wicket on debut! The ball went downt the leg side and grazed Shubman Gill's gloves on its way through to the keeper. India are in trouble now with three wickets down and not many on the board! Shubman Gill c Kyle Verreynne b Nandre Burger 2(12)
26 Dec, 14:45 (IST)
OUT! Nandre Burger has gotten his first Test wicket and dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal. The southpaw attempted a drive but edged the ball and Kyle Verreynne ended up taking a good catch. Both openers back in the hut now! Yashasvi Jaiswal c Kyle Verreynne b Nandre Burger 17(37)
26 Dec, 14:25 (IST)
IND 13/1 in 5 Overs | India vs South Africa Live Score Updates: Kagiso Rabada Dismisses Rohit Sharma
OUT! Kagiso Rabada has dismissed Rohit Sharma. The Indian captain attended a pull shot and found the man at fine leg. Rohit, one of the best players of the pull shot, has failed to clear the field and South Africa have drawn first blood. Rohit Sharma c Nandre Burger b Kagiso Rabada 5(14)
26 Dec, 14:06 (IST)
Yashasvi Jaiswal and India get off the mark in this Test series with a four. The left-hander played and missed in the first few balls off Kagiso Rabada's bowling and flicked one for four after a delivery strayed on the pads.
26 Dec, 13:54 (IST)
Here are the playing XIs of both teams:
India's Playing XI: Rohit Sharma(c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
South Africa's Playing XI: Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma(c), Keegan Petersen, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne(w), Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Kagiso Rabada, Nandre Burger
26 Dec, 13:51 (IST)
South Africa have won the toss in this delayed start and will bowl first in the match. The home side have two debutants in Nandre Burger and David Bedingham. For India, Ravichandran Ashwin is playing in place of Ravindra Jadeja. Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj will form the pace attack alongwith Prasidh Krishna, the debutant.
26 Dec, 13:50 (IST)
South Africa have won the toss in this delayed start and will bowl first in the match. The home side have two debutants in Nandre Burger and David Bedingham. For India, Ravichandran Ashwin is playing in place of Ravindra Jadeja. Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj will form the pace attack alongwith Prasidh Krishna, the debutant.
26 Dec, 13:35 (IST)
The inspection has been done by the umpires and the toss for the match is set to take place in 15 minutes. It is good news for the fans who have waited for this match to start.
26 Dec, 13:34 (IST)
The inspection has been done by the umpires and the toss for the match is set to take place in 15 minutes. It is good news for the fans who have waited for this match to start.
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.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 26, 2023 10:52 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).