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KL Rahul’s century overshadows Lungi Ngidi’s three wickets as India takes control of 1st Test

Mahlatse Mphahlele Sports reporter
Proteas players celebrate the wicket of Cheteshwar Pujara of India by Lungi Ngidi during day one of the Boxing Day Test at SuperSport Park on Sunday.
Proteas players celebrate the wicket of Cheteshwar Pujara of India by Lungi Ngidi during day one of the Boxing Day Test at SuperSport Park on Sunday.
Image: Lee Warren/Gallo Images

Opener KL Rahul scored a fighting unbeaten century to put India in a commanding position on the opening day of the Boxing Day Test against SA at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Sunday.

The visitors, whose captain Virat Kohli won the toss and chose to bat first on a greenish surface reached day one stumps on 272/3.

Rahul sparkled with his seventh century (122* off 248) that included 17 boundaries and one maximum as he helped India lay a solid foundation.

Rahul’s performance overshadowed the gallant efforts of Proteas fast bowler Lungi Ngidi, who ended his shift having taken all three wickets to fall on the day.

It was a commendable performance by Ngidi considering this was the first time he played competitive cricket in five months since he featured against Ireland in Belfast.

For India, other contributors to the scoreboard were Mayank Agarwal with a well-taken 60, and captain Virat Kohli, who looked good before he gave away his wicket cheaply during the third session on 35.

India will continue on Monday with Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane (40*) looking to increase the team’s advantage and their promising partnership of 73 off 131.

The visitors dominated from the beginning with Rahul and Agarwal successfully negotiating the first session with India ending on 83/0 after 28 overs.

Ngidi returned from the lunch break to claim the wickets of Agarwal and Cheteshwas Pujara (0).

The dismissal of Agarwal was confirmed by the TV umpire after a review and Ngidi struck again with the next ball to claim the scalp of Pujara, who was caught by Keegan Petersen at short leg.

The wickets of Agarwal and Pujara left Ngidi on a hat-trick, but his third ball went past the outside the off stump, untouched by Kohli.

Before Agarwal was dismissed, he and Rahul frustrated the Proteas bowling attack of Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, debutant Marco Jensen, Wiaan Mulder and spinner Keshav Maharaj.

Their 117 partnership was the third time India scored 100 or more opening runs in SA after Wassin Jaffer and Dinesh Karthik at Newlands in 2007 and Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag in Centurion in 2010.

Ngidi came back to haunt the Indian batters when he dismissed Kohli, who was easily taken at first slip by Wiaan Mulder as he moved across in an attempt to attack the ball.

Kohli’s dismissal means he has gone over two years without scoring a century since November 2019 against Bangladesh, where he pummeled 136 runs at Eden Gardens.

Rabada, Ngidi, Jensen, Mulder and Keshav Maharaj have a lot of work to do and the advantage is with India who still have Rishabh Pant, Ravichandran Ashwin and the tail in Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.

TimesLIVE


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