South Africa reach 81/3 at lunch on Day 2 of third Test

South Africa reached 81/3 at lunch after losing opener Dean Elgar early in the morning session on Day 2 of the third and final cricket Test against India at the New Wanderers Stadium here on Thursday.

Hashim Amla (32) and AB de Villiers (0) went undivided, with South Africa trailing by 106 runs in response to India's first innings score of 187, when the umpires called an end to the first session of play.

Resuming from their overnight score of 6/1, Elgar (4) and night-watchman Kagiso Rabada (30) started cautiously before the left-handed opener nicked behind an unplayable delivery from Bhuvneshwar Kumar which was comfortably latched on by Parthiv Patel.

The departure of Elgar brought in Amla, who started vulnerably before gaining in confidence when he cracked Jasprit Bumrah twice to the boundary.

Amla also survived an lbw call on his personal score of 22, when Ishant Sharma hit him above the kneeroll even as the review found the ball going over the bails.

Rabada on the other hand, played his role perfectly, blocking the Indian seamers and occasionally hitting the odd one to the boundary before Ishant ended his defiant 84-ball knock of 30 by inducing an edge for Ajinkya Rahane to latch on at gully.

With the Proteas reaching 80/3, in walked de Villiers just at the stroke of lunch and was yet to open his account.

Brief Scores: India first innings 187 vs South Africa first innings 81/3 (Hashim Amla 32 batting, Kagiso Rabada 30; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2/17, Ishant Sharma 1/20).

--IANS

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