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Advantage South Africa despite Pandya heroics

Cape Town - Pandya scored a swashbuckling 93, then took two wickets

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Hardik Pandya went on a thrilling counter-attack but could not prevent South Africa from finishing on top on the second day of the first Test at Newlands on Saturday.
Pandya scored a swashbuckling 93, then took two wickets, but South Africa built on a first innings lead of 77 and were 65 for two at the close, an overall lead of 142 on a pitch which has helped fast bowlers.
India had slumped to 92 for seven in reply to South Africa's first innings total of 286 when Pandya found a determined ally in Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
While 24-year-old Pandya went for his shots, Kumar took 34 balls to score his first run but then played some fine strokes of his own, scoring 25 in an eighth wicket partnership of 99 which more than doubled their team's total.
The partnership frustrated the South African bowlers and kept them in the field long enough for Dale Steyn to give South Africa another injury scare.
Steyn, in his first Test match since suffering a fractured shoulder in Australia in November 2014, had taken two for 51 when he pulled up with a bruised heel and left the field three balls into his 18th over.
After treatment in the dressing room he was sent for a scan.
Steyn would have hoped to end Pandya's innings - and hasten the demise of the Indian batting effort - long before he was called upon to bowl a fourth spell in what was his longest and most intensive bowling effort since his shoulder injury.
Pandya struggled against Steyn early in his innings. He survived on a review after being given out caught behind off the fast bowler on five and was dropped by Dean Elgar at gully off Steyn when he had 15.
Pandya, 24, confirmed the reputation he earned as a dashing stroke player, first in limited overs cricket and more recently when he scored 178 runs off 168 balls in three Test innings in Sri Lanka last year, including 108 off 96 deliveries in the third Test in Kandy.
He hit 14 fours on Saturday as well as a six off left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj's second ball of the match. He charged out to the next ball and should have been stumped with his score on 71.
Kumar was caught behind off Morne Morkel when Pandya was on 85.
If anything, Pandya stepped up his aggressive attitude after the dismissal of Kumar, swinging at a succession of short-pitched deliveries from Morkel and Kagiso Rabada.
His luck ran out when he flashed at a lifting ball from Rabada and was caught behind.
Rabada finished with three for 34, while Vernon Philander took three for 33. Morkel and Steyn shared the other four wickets.
Pandya's innings was in contrast to the struggles of most of the other Indian batsmen who were kept under pressure by South Africa's barrage of four fast bowlers.
Chetashwar Pujara laboured to 26 off 92 balls, while Rohit Sharma took 59 balls to score 11.
South Africa made a good start to their second innings, with Aiden Markram and Dean Elgar putting on 52 for the first wicket before Pandya dismissed both openers in successive overs.
Hosts ahead
South Africa first innings (286)
India first innings (overnight 28-3)
M. Vijay c Elgar b Philander        1
S. Dhawan c and b Steyn            16
C. Pujara c Du Plessis b Philander 26
V. Kohli c De Kock b Morkel         5
R. Sharma lbw b Rabada             11
R. Ashwin c De Kock b Philander    12
H. Pandya c De Kock b Rabada       93
W. Saha lbw b Steyn                 0
B. Kumar c De Kock b Morkel        25
Mohammed Shami not out              4
J. Bumrah c Elgar b Rabada          2
Extras (b1, lb13)                  14
Total (73.4 overs)                209
Fall: 1-16, 2-18, 3-27, 4-57, 5-76, 6-81, 7-92, 8-191, 9-199, 10-209
Bowling: Philander 14.3-8-33-3, Steyn 17.3-6-51-2, Morkel 19-6-57-2, Rabada 16.4-4-34-3, Maharaj 6-0-20-0
South Africa second innings
A. Markram c Kumar b Pandya        34
D. Elgar c Saha b Pandya           25
K. Rabada not out                   2
H. Amla not out                     4
Extras                              0
Total (2 wkts, 20 overs)           65
Fall: 1-52, 2-59
Bowling: Kumar 6-3-16-0, Bumrah 4-0-14-0, Mohammed Shami 5-1-15-0, Pandya 4-0-17-2, Ashwin 1-0-3-0
Match situation: South Africa lead by 142 runs with eight wickets remaining in the second innings
Toss: South Africa
Umpires: Michael Gough, Richard Kettleborough (both ENG)
TV umpire: Paul Reiffel (AUS)
Match referee: Chris Broad (ENG)