Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja put India on top vs South Africa at lunch, in 1st Test Day 2 at Mohali

South Africa stumbled to 127 for five at lunch on the second day of the opening Test against India at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium in Mohali on Friday, with Ravichandran Ashwin bagging four wickets and Ravindra Jadeja providing very strong support from the other end. At lunch, South Africa were trailing by 74 runs with their last recognised batsman AB de Villiers and Vernon Philander at the crease. Ashwin and Jadeja displayed what impact and damage they can cause in favourable conditions, despite being introduced late into the attack on the second day by the Indian captain Virat Kohli. At lunch, de Villiers had managed to reach not out, while Philander was on not out at the other end. Live Cricket Scorecard: India vs South Africa 015, 1st Test, Day 1 at Mohali here

It was an interesting first session on the second day, with South Africa making a strong start helped by India’s poor tactics. Both Ashwin and Jadeja had picked up a wicket each on the first day evening, but Kohli did not call them into the bowling attack as he used his two seamers Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron alongside Amit Mishra for the first half hour. Live Cricket Blog & Updates India vs South Africa 2015, 1st Test at Mohali, Day 2

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Ashwin came on as the second change into the bowling attack, and he immediately started troubling the South African batsmen. Elgar had done well so far as he used the ploy of batting deep in the crease, which gave him the time to read the turn and the bounce of the deliveries well. However, he had a lapse in concentration in the 38th over of the innings, when he tried to slog Ashwin over midwicket but ended up getting a leading edge. Jadeja has not been putting a foot wrong these days, and he took a simple catch.

Elgar’s wicket brought the dangerous AB de Villiers at the crease, but this was a different batsman who walked out to bat. De Villiers showed the same nervousness that Ian Bell displays against spinners these days, as he was not only beaten several times, but it looked like there has been a sudden and a sharp decline in the form.

Jadeja was the chief tormentor of de Villiers, who had him not once but twice, if the Indians were to be believed. The snickometer showed spike when Jadeja had de Villiers caught behind when he was on naught in the 39th over. In the 45th over, there was a lifeline to the South African batsman when Jadeja was ruled to have overstepped the crease, with Kohli taking a sharp catch after Wriddhiman Saha fumbled.

The pressure was on de Villiers, but it was Amla who fell right after the lifeline. Amla danced down to Ashwin and misses, and the ball ricocheted off Saha’s chest to fall on the bails and dislodge them. Saha has been poor behind the wickets, as he had also dropped a  tough one earlier today off Mishra.

South Africa sank further when Dane Vilas threw away his wicket, to Ashwin as he tried to slog but got a leading edge. His dismissal exposed the South African tail and they would hope that de Villiers pulls up his socks to get them close to the Indian total.

Brief scores:

India 201 (Murali Vijay 75, Cheteshwar Pujara 31, Ravindra Jadeja 38; Dean Elgar 4 for 22, Imran Tahir 2 for 23) lead South Africa 127 for 5 (Dean Elgar 37, Hashim Amla 43, Ab de Villiers 26*; Ravichandran Ashwin 4 for 36, Ravindra Jadeja 1 for 30) by 74 runs.

Full Cricket Scorecard: India vs South Africa 015, 1st Test at Mohali

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