VISAKHAPATNAM, Oct 4: Dean Elgar (160) and Quinton de Kock (111) scored centuries on Day 3 of the first Test between India and South Africa at the ACA-VDCA Stadium, but R Ashwin finished with his 27th fifer to bring the hosts right back into the game on Friday. At stumps, South Africa�s score read 385/8 with Senuran Muthusamy (12) and Keshav Maharaj (3) at the crease. The Proteas still trail by 117 runs with just two wickets in the bag.
If the Proteas dominated the first two sessions of the day, the last session was clearly shared as the spin duo of Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja clawed back. Jadeja picked up his 200th Test wicket in the final session and in the process became the fastest left-arm bowler to reach the milestone. He eclipsed the feat of Sri Lanka spinner Rangana Herath, who had reached the landmark in his 47th Test match, by reaching the feat in his 44th game.
The spinner could have reached the feat in the first session of the third day itself, but Wriddhiman Saha dropped Dean Elgar. And it was Elgar who turned out to be his 200th scalp as the Proteas opener was caught brilliantly at the square-leg boundary by Cheteshwar Pujara. The morning session though saw the Proteas put up a disciplined show as skipper Faf du Plessis hung in with opener Elgar after Temba Bavuma (18) was dismissed by Ishant Sharma in the seventh over of the day.
SCORECARD
India 1st Innings: 502/7 declared.
South Africa 1st Innings: (Overnight 39/3) Dean Elgar c Pujara b Jadeja 160, Aiden Markram b Ashwin 5, Theunis de Bruyn c Saha b Ashwin 4, Dane Piedt b Jadeja 0, Temba Bavuma lbw b I Sharma 18, Faf du Plessis c Pujara b Ashwin 55, Quinton de Kock b Ashwin 111, Senuran Muthusamy not out 12, Vernon Philander b Ashwin 0, Keshav Maharaj not out 3. Extras: (B-8, LB-4, NB-5) 17. Total: (For 8 wickets in 118 overs) 385. Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-31, 3-34, 4-63, 5-178, 6-342, 7-370, 8-376. Bowling: Ishant Sharma 14-2-44-1, Mohammed Shami 15-3-40-0, Ravichandran Ashwin 41-11-128-5, Ravindra Jadeja 37-4-116-2, Hanuma Vihari 9-1-38-0, Rohit Sharma 2-1-7-0.� PTI
