Team India had another dominating outing in the second Test against South Africa. The hosts secured a massive first innings lead of 326 runs by bowling out the Proteas for 275 on Day 3 at MCA Stadium in Pune.
Ravichandran Ashwin (4/69), Umesh Yadav (3/37), Mohammad Shami (2/44) and Ravindra Jadeja (1/81) were among the wickets for India while Keshav Maharaj (72) was the top scorer for the visitors.
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After the end of third day’s play, the question that everyone is asking – whether India will enforce follow-on or bat for a session or two on Day 4?
Facing the same question during the press conference, off-spinner Ashwin said skipper Virat Kohli will take the call overnight.
“At least I have not thought about the follow-on. I think the captain will decide overnight on what he should do…” he told reporters on Saturday (October 12).
After reducing South Africa to 162/8, Indian bowlers struggled to get the tailenders out. Maharaj and Vernon Philander shared a 109-run partnership for the ninth wicket to take the innings till the last over of the day.
Hence, Ashwin feels the decision to enforce follow-on will also depend on “how the bowlers recover tomorrow morning.”
Riding on Virat Kohli’s career-best 254 not out, Mayank Agarwal’s 108 and half-centuries from Ravindra Jadeja (91), Ajinkya Rahane (59) and Cheteshwar Pujara (58), India posted a colossal 601/5 (declared) in their first innings.
In order to avoid follow-on, the tourists were ought to make at least 402 but a top-order collapse didn’t help their cause. Barring captain Faf du Plessis (64), none of the top seven batters managed to touch the 50-run mark. In fact, four of them got out in a single digit.
