Bowlers fight, batsmen take flight

Cape Town, January 8

Seamer Vernon Philander took career-best 6/42 as South Africa claimed a 72-run victory over India on a gripping fourth day of the first Test here today. Set 208 for victory, India were bowled out for 135 in 42.4 overs in their second innings on a lively wicket with Philander, the chief destroyer, recording figures of 6/42 for his first five-wicket haul in Tests since 2013.
India seemed to have seized control of the Test when they bowled South Africa out for 130 in the morning session, but found the home attack on the seamer-friendly wicket too much of a challenge. After Day 3 had been a washout, 18 wickets fell in 64 overs on Monday, all going to seamers.
Shami, Bumrah show

South Africa resumed on 65/2, but were only able to double their score before they lost their last eight wickets. Mohammed Shami (3/28) and debutant Jasprit Bumrah (3/39) were the pick of the Indian bowlers. Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2-33) also chipped in with two wickets. Only an attacking 35 from De Villiers stemmed the tide to a degree before he was the last man out.
South Africa, without injured seamer Dale Steyn who will miss the rest of the series with a heel problem, looked appeared in trouble when the Indian openers, Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan, weathered the initial overs and pushed the score to 30 for no loss. But once Shikhar Dhawan (16) deflected a rising deliver from Morne Morkel (2/39) to gully, the wickets started tumbling. Philander picked up his first wicket when Murali Vijay (13) edged to the third slip. Cheteshwar Pujara (four) became Morkel’s second victim with the score on 39, before Indian captain Virat Kohli (28) took the attack to the South Africans. He was undone playing across a straight delivery from Philander.
Rohit Sharma (10) was bowled off the inside edge by Philander before the tourists’ first-innings hero Hardik Pandya edged Kagiso Rabada to De Villiers in the slips. Rabada claimed the wicket of Wriddhiman Saha (eight) with the last ball before tea.
Philander then took three wickets in four balls to seal the victory after a seventh-wicket stand of 49 between top-scorer Ravichandran Ashwin (37) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (13 not out) had briefly sent jitters through the Newlands crowd.
“I was nervous we did not have enough runs,” said South Africa captain Faf du Plessis. “I knew the new ball would be key for us, if we could strike early we believed we could get through their batting line-up.”