"Hopefully doesn't go into the territory of Pujara or Rahane" - Fans slam Indian openers after they fail in Cape Town

Team India's openers yet again failed to get their side off to a good start after coming out to bat in the final hour of the second day's play at Newlands in Cape Town.

The visiting side were looking for a good start in their second essay after securing a 13-run lead in the first innings. But Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul departed cheaply, with Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada breathing fire with the new ball.

Mayank was undone by a cracker of a delivery from Rabada that pitched on off and and went away just a bit to catch his edge before landing safely in the hands of Dean Elgar.

Jansen, on the other hand, played with Rahul's mind. He bowled a couple of bouncers to push Rahul on the backfoot before pitching one up. Rahul's feet went nowhere as the bat hung away from his body, only to nick the ball to Aiden Markram.

India were reduced to 24/2 with several overs still left in the day's play. Although Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara took the team safely to Stumps, fans were certainly disappointed with how the openers fared.

KL Rahul has scored a century and a fifty in the series. Mayank has managed to score only one fifty, which is also his only 50+ score in his last 14 innings in away Tests.

Jasprit Bumrah's five-wicket haul puts India on top

Bowlers from both sides once again made the ball talk on Day 2, picking up 11 wickets, as has been the case throughout the entire series.

South Africa batted well in patches, with the young Keegan Petersen (72) leading the way. But they fell short in front of the aggressive Jasprit Bumrah, who was in lethal form. While Mohammed Shami broke the deadlock with two wickets in a single over, Bumrah ran through the remaining unit to help India secure a lead.

The visitors lost both their openers cheaply but Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara managed to hang on until the close of play. Kohli & Co are at 57/2, with a 70-run lead.

About the author

Ankush is a cricket journalist at Sportskeeda covering news, listicles, features, and exclusives. A graduate in Commerce and an accountant by qualification, Ankush followed his true calling for sports journalism, and today, has over 8 years of experience having working for the likes of Sportzwiki and Cricfit. Ankush places a very high emphasis on factual accuracy in his articles and believes in representing the true image of the story. Writing in the simplest and most easy-to-understand language possible, especially for those not well-versed with English, is one of his strengths.

Ankush, who captained his state in the National School games, is a big fan of Ravichandran Ashwin. He admires his unconventional thinking and his eagerness to keep learning despite being a legend of the game. His favorite cricket team is Australia because of their mentality and fighting spirit, and them beating India in the 2003 World Cup final left a lasting impression on him.

Apart from watching and covering cricket, Ankush also likes to read books whenever possible.

Know More