A LEG DAY TO FORGET

Only third team to face in excess of 900 balls in Ist innings of a Test in India since Jan 2020, South Africa post 489

- SWAROOP SWAMINATHAN

BY the time Marco Jansen played on to end a violent 91ball 93, he had broken at least three bats.

But he had also broken a fair few Indian spirits - the ones on the field and the ones in the stands -during his time in the middle. When he walked out to bat, India still had a small window of opportunity to curtail the visitors from running up a really big score. Kyle Verreynne had just been dismissed post lunch. There was nothing happening off the wicket but the spinners and the pacers had managed to show supreme control and discipline to limit run-scoring to singles and twos. It was, perhaps, a touch defensive but this was the opening they were after.