India vs South Africa Highlights, 1st Test Day 1: IND 208/8; Play called off due to rain, bad light

20:22 (IST)

That’s it from us in our coverage of the opening day of the two-Test series. Do join us tomorrow morning. Till then, goodbye!

20:22 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

It’s official then — play has been called off on Day 1 due to rain. Only 59 overs were possible on the opening day out 90, both due to the rain and poor light in the third session as well as the multiple blows that the Indian batters copped in the second which led to multiple checkups by the Indian physio.

KL Rahul (70 not out) and Kagiso Rabada (5/44) have been the standout performers for the Indian and South African teams respectively so far today, with the latter going past 500 wickets across formats in international cricket with his 14th Test five-for. Rahul, on the other hand, is expected to play a crucial role in guiding India past 250 on the second day, which is expected to start slightly earlier than usual to make up for lost time on Tuesday.

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Not a very promising sight at Centurion right now

For me, we are done and dusted for the day...#SAVIND pic.twitter.com/TkS4YfjCfx— Sandipan Banerjee (@im_sandipan) December 26, 2023

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India vs South Africa LIVE

What started as a drizzle has now become a proper downpour. Not good news for both the players and the fans, and might just signal the end of the day’s play unless the skies clear up soon.

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India vs South Africa LIVE

After 59 overs,India 208/8 ( KL Rahul (W) 70 , Mohammed Siraj 0)

PLAY HALTED IN CENTURION — The drizzle at the SuperSport Park gets heavier, and that forces the umpires to call the players back to the dressing room and allow the ground staff to cover the pitch up as quickly as possible. It’s quite gloomy out there in Centurion at the moment, and the chances of it being a passing shower appear low at the moment. Rahul’s batting on 70 at the moment, and will be hoping to get the visiting team to a total in the range of 240-250 from here.

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India vs South Africa LIVE

FOUR! Rahul decides to open the face of his bat and steer a full, wide delivery from Jansen behind square, the ball flying over the outstretched hand of the fielder at gully and running all the way to the fence. IND 208/8

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India vs South Africa LIVE

After 58 overs,India 202/8 ( KL Rahul (W) 64 , Mohammed Siraj 0)

Jansen bowls out a maiden after getting rid of Bumrah. Coetzee replaces Burger after a three-over spell to the latter after tea, and he gets smacked for back-to-back boundaries by Rahul that gets India past 200 with two wickets in hand. This isn’t the easiest of surfaces to bat on and former India coach Ravi Shastri, who’s on commentary duty in the ongoing series, had earlier said that even a total in the range of 220 for the Indians would be a competitive one.

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FOUR! Rahul brings up the 200 for the Indians with back-to-back boundaries off Coetzee! Goes for an aerial drive in the third delivery of Coetzee's first over of the session, and follows it up with a firm pull towards the midwicket fence. The boundaries also take him into the 60s at the same time! IND 201/8

19:32 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

After 56 overs,India 191/8 ( KL Rahul (W) 53 , Mohammed Siraj 0)

Mohammed Siraj joins Rahul at the centre after Jansen gets rid of Bumrah, and he must have been given special instructions both in the dressing room as well as from his batting partner at the centre — to not swing his arms till the time Rahul’s batting, and let him hog as much of the strike as he can. Meanwhile, there’s a light drizzle at the SuperSport Park at the moment with the skies also starting to get darker and the floodlights being switched on.

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BOWLED! Bumrah decides to throw caution to the wind just this one, and ends up chopping the ball onto the stumps for his vigil to finally come to an end. Marco Jansen gets his name on the wickets column with the breakthrough! IND 191/8

Bumrah b Jansen 1(19)

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After 54 overs,India 190/7 ( KL Rahul (W) 52 , Jasprit Bumrah 1)

It’s Bumrah’s turn to get hit on the body — on the right hand to be more precise, while trying to fend a short ball. The physio makes another short trip to the centre, and the way the Proteas quicks are targeting the Indian quicks at the moment, might remain a busy man throughout the duration of the Indian innings. Bumrah finally gets off the mark wtih a single later in the over with a single. Burger concedes just a single in the following over.

19:12 (IST)

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After 52 overs,India 187/7 ( KL Rahul (W) 50 , Jasprit Bumrah 0)

SIX! Fuller delivery from Burger outside off, and Rahul decides to go for an lofted drive over the covers, clearing the boundary rope quite comfortably as a result! With that, Rahul completes a hard-fought half-century — his 14th in Test cricket — in 80 deliveries!

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FOUR! The 31-year-old collects his sixth boundary of the day in the following over, pushing a full delivery from Burger through the midwicket region. Tony de Zorzi gives the ball a chase and fails to prevent the boundary despite putting in a slide. IND 181/7

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India vs South Africa LIVE

Right then, we’re back for the final session of the opening day at Centurion. The Proteas get into a quick huddle before taking their respective positions on the field while KL Rahul, who’s batting on 39 at the moment, gets ready to face the first delivery after tea. Kagiso Rabada will be bowling the first over of the session as usual, and will hope to snuff out the set batter as early as he can. This will also likely be an extended session given the Proteas have bowled just 50 overs so far in the day, and will need the extra hour to complete their quota for the day.

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India vs South Africa LIVE

After 50 overs,India 176/7 ( KL Rahul (W) 39 , Jasprit Bumrah 0)

Rabada bowls five dots in a row and is on the verge of collecting his fourth maiden of the day when Rahul collects a boundary off the final delivery — firmly slashing a short-of-length ball outside off behind point. The boundary results in Bumrah having to safely negotiate Burger in the following over, and he does so for a couple of deliveries before getting off strike in the third with a bye. The physio has to make another trip to the centre after Rahul’s hurt by a rising delivery, getting a top-edge onto the throat in the penultimate delivery of the 50th over. He’s good to go after a quick checkup, and collects a single off what turns out to be the final delivery of the session.

India are 176/7 at tea on Day 1 with KL Rahul unbeaten on 39. The wicketkeeper-batter will be key to the visiting team getting to 250 and beyond from here and he will need all the support that he can get from Bumrah and the rest of the Indian tail.

18:32 (IST)

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After 48 overs,India 170/7 ( KL Rahul (W) 34 , Jasprit Bumrah 0)

FOUR! Rahul will be on the lookout for a few more of those with India’s batting now going into the tail! Length ball from Burger outside off, and Rahul decides to go for a lofted drive over cover. Jasprit Bumrah joins him at the crease and he's yet to get off the mark after facing six deliveries. His focus will be to preserve his wicket and allow Rahul to score the bulk of the runs at the other end.

18:25 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

OUT! Kagiso Rabada gets his five-for after all as Thakur perishes after driving the ball straight to stand-in captain Dean Elgar at extra cover! The all-rounder had copped a painful blow on his right arm i the previous delivery and that, along with the nasty blow to the helmet off Coetzee’s bowling earlier in the day, appears to have disrupted his flow. Thakur was perhaps looking to give it back to the bowler with a boundary, but hardly got any timing on the aerial drive for it to run all the way to the fence. IND 164/7

Thakur c Elgar b Rabada 24(33)

18:19 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

After 46 overs,India 164/6 ( KL Rahul (W) 29 , Shardul Thakur 24)

Six off Jansen’s 12th over, with the left-arm seamer getting smacked for a maximum by Rahul at the start of the over. A mix-up later in the same over, however, nearly results in the promising partnership being broken with Thakur being sent back after running a fair bit from the non-striker’s end, managing to get his bat inside the crease in the nick of time. Nandre Burger returns to the attack in place of Coetzee, who’s gone wicketless in the 11 overs that he’s bowled so far today, conceding just a single at the start of a new spell.

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India vs South Africa LIVE

SIX! Second maximum of the day, and this one comes off Rahul’s bat as he decides to slash hard a full delivery from Jansen outside off, clearing the cover fence with ease. IND 163/6

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After 44 overs,India 157/6 ( KL Rahul (W) 23 , Shardul Thakur 23)

OUCH! Thakur cops a nasty blow on the helmet after Coetzee decides to fire a snorter at the all-rounder who has been standing up the Proteas attack so far in his innings today. The Indian physio walks out to conduct the mandatory concussion test on Thakur as well as to change his helmet. Thakur does look a bit dazed after getting struck on the right side of his skull. Wasn’t perhaps expecting the ball to climb as much as it eventually did. Coetzee follows it up with another short ball, and Thakur decides to arch his back and leave this one alone. Two off Coetzee’s over.

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After 42 overs,India 154/6 ( KL Rahul (W) 23 , Shardul Thakur 20)

Thakur’s arrival at the crease certainly has helped take some of the pressure off Rahul’s back, with the bowling all-rounder moving to 20 at nearly run-a-ball with the help of three boundaries. The partnership for the seventh wicket is currently worth 33 and one that will have the Proteas slightly worried at the moment. Ashwin had adopted an approach quite similar to that of Thakur during his stay at the crease, collecting two boundaries until getting a near-unplayable delivery from Rabada.

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India vs South Africa LIVE

FOUR! Loosener from Coetzee, bowling a full toss down leg at Thakur, who has little trouble dispatching this towards the square leg fence to collect his third boundary. More importantly, he guides India past the 150-mark with that hit. IND 153/6

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India vs South Africa LIVE

After 40 overs,India 148/6 ( KL Rahul (W) 23 , Shardul Thakur 14)

FOUR! Another boundary for Thakur, arching his back and going for an aerial punch over the covers after Coetzee decides to shorten the length while bowling outside off. Thakur gets off strike three balls later with a single. Five off the over. Drinks brought to the field at the hour mark in the second session.

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FOUR! Slightly short from Jansen, and Rahul brings out the pull, smacking the ball towards the midwicket fence to collect his fourth boundary. IND 143/6

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FOUR! Full and wide from Jansen, who replaces Rabada after an extended post-lunch spell for the latter, and Rahul drives this behind square, beating gully, to collect his third wicket. IND 139/6

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India vs South Africa LIVE

After 38 overs,India 135/6 ( KL Rahul (W) 15 , Shardul Thakur 9)

Thakur’s off to a promising start. Not only does he drive the ball down the ground off Rabada to collect his first boundary, and follows it up with a square drive off Coetzee in the following over, this time coming back for a third after the ball slows down on its way to the fence.

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FOUR! Thakur gives Rabada a reminder of his usefulness with the bat by dispatching a full delivery from Rabada down the ground past mid off for a boundary — his first of the day. IND 129/6

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After 36 overs,India 124/6 ( KL Rahul (W) 13 , Shardul Thakur 1)

All-rounder Shardul Thakur, quite handy with the bat himself, joins KL Rahul at the crease with India suddenly in deep trouble after losing three quick wickets in the nine overs that have been bowled at the start of the second session. Gerald Coetzee returns to the attack in the 36th over, replacing Nandre Burger, and Shardul Thakur gets off the mark with a single in the second delivery, getting a leading edge that results in the ball landing anxiously close to the bowler. Three singles conceded by Coetzee at the start of a new spell.

17:25 (IST)

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OUT! Fourth wicket for Kagiso Rabada as Ravichandran Ashwin's little cameo, in which he collected a couple of boundaries, comes to an end. The spin-bowling all-rounder gets surprised by the extra bounce generated by Rabada and ends up getting a deflection off the bat handle towards the slips, where substitute fielder Wiaan Mulder completes an easy catch. IND 121/6

Ashwin c sub (Mulder) b Rabada 8(11)

17:20 (IST)

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After 34 overs,India 120/5 ( KL Rahul (W) 10 , Ravichandran Ashwin 8)

FOUR! The boundaries are starting to flow right now for the Indians. Is this their strategy now to counter the Proteas, who find themselves on top once again with two quick wickets? Full delivery from Burger outside off, and Rahul leans into the it to produce a gorgeous cover drive. Rahul gets off strike with a single four deliveries later. Five off the over.

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FOUR! Kagiso Rabada’s on fire at the moment, having dismissed both Rohit and Kohli besides Iyer, and here comes Ashwin from out of nowhere collecting two boundaries in one over. This one’s lot better a shot — a drive through the covers with Ashwin managing to keep the ball along the ground instead of taking the aerial route. IND 115/5 after 33

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FOUR! And now Ashwin too gets off the mark with a boundary off Rabada, going for an aerial punch over the covers with stand-in captain Dean Elgar, standing at short cover, having little idea about the direction of the ball. IND 111/5

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After 32 overs,India 107/5 ( KL Rahul (W) 5 , Ravichandran Ashwin 0)

Rahul starts off confidently against Rabada, hooking a short ball from the South African pace spearhead square of the wicket and getting off strike the very next delivery with a single. Rabada, though, claws back later in the over by getting rid of Kohli and collecting his third wicket. Burger collects his third maiden in eight overs in the following over. Massive responsibility on Rahul's shoulders at the moment to guide India towards a competitive total from here, and can expect a fair bit of support from Ashwin and Shardul Thakur, who'll walk in to bat next before we move on to the tail.

17:03 (IST)

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OUT! KG Rabada gets rid of both set batters after the lunch interval, this time getting Virat Kohli caught-behind with a beauty of a delivery. India have lost half their side now with a little over 100 on the board, and are suddenly in danger of getting shot out for less than 200! Rabada had set up the iconic batter with a couple of short-pitched balls aimed at the batter's body before firing a slightly fuller ball that nips away. IND 107/5

Kohli c Verreyne b Rabada 38(64)

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FOUR! Fine way for keeper-bat Rahul to get off the mark, hooking a short ball from Rabada square of the wicket, with the ball rolling all the way to the vacant square leg fence. IND 106/4

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After 30 overs,India 102/4 ( Virat Kohli 38 , KL Rahul (W) 0)

Rabada continues bowling a tidy line, collecting his third maiden in nine overs. Kohli then releases some of the pressure that was starting to build after Iyer’s dismissal with a boundary off Burger in the following over. Rahul, meanwhile, is yet to get off the mark after facing seven deliveries.

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FOUR! Kohli steers a full delivery from Burger behind point to bring up the 100 for the Indians. FIfth boundary of the day for the star batter, who's on 38 at the moment. IND 102/4

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India vs South Africa LIVE

After 28 overs,India 98/4 ( Virat Kohli 34 , KL Rahul (W) 0)

It’s back to square one for the Indians after lunch, with the Proteas starting to exert some pressure once again after Rabada’s dismissal of Iyer first over into the second session. Nandre Burger is brought back from the other end after the Proteas start the session with Rabada. Six leg byes are added to the Indian total in the 28th over, four of them in the final delivery after the ball brushes Kohli’s bat before beating the diving Verreyne and running away to the fence. KL Rahul, who captained in the ODIs and is keeping the wickets in the Tests, walks in at No 6.

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BOWLED! Kagiso Rabada strikes after lunch as Shreyas Iyer departs for 31! It's the wobble-seam delivery from KG that stays a touch low and nips back in sharply, catching the batter by surprise and sneaking through the gap between bat and pad to crash into the middle stump. IND 92/4

Iyer b Rabada 31(50)

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Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer make their way back to the centre at the start of the second session of the day. Kagiso Rabada will once again bowl the first over of a session. The Proteas will hope to break the partnership as early as they can before it becomes a match-defining one.

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India vs South Africa LIVE 

"We have never won a series here and it'll be a big thing if we do it here. I don't know whether it'll be able to take away the pain of World Cup defeat. If we are able to achieve it then it'll be a good thing," skipper Rohit Sharma had said during the pre-match press conference. Read more on that here.  

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After 26 overs,India 91/3 ( Virat Kohli 33 , Shreyas Iyer 31)

Kohli grabs another treble, this time at the start of the 26th over, pushing a full delivery from Jansen through extra cover with the ball slowing down on its way to the boundary rope. With that, it’s LUNCH ON DAY 1, with India reaching 91/3 at the end of the morning session.

Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer look fairly set at the moment, batting on 33 and 31 respectively after getting dropped on identical scores of 4. South Africa were off to a superb start with the ball after opting to field under overcast conditions, snaring three wickets for just 24 runs and could have had the visiting team five down by now had they held on to their chances.

We’ll be back in some time for the second session of the day. Don’t go anywhere.

15:58 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

SIX! First maximum of the innings with Shreyas Iyer flicking a full delivery from Gerald Coetzee, getting enough timing on the shot for the ball to go all the way over the square leg fence. IND 86/3

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After 24 overs,India 80/3 ( Virat Kohli 29 , Shreyas Iyer 25)

Five off Jansen’s seventh over, including three to Kohli in the third delivery after the former skipper leans into the full delivery and pushes it through extra cover. India have 80 runs on the board already with less than 10 minutes left for lunch.

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Virat Kohli brings up fifty of the partnership with Shreyas Iyer for the fourth wicket with a brace off Gerald Coetzee off the final delivery of the 23rd over. The pair consume 71 deliveries in reaching the milestone, and have set themselves up nicely for big scores after getting dropped on 4. IND 75/3 after 23

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After 22 overs,India 72/3 ( Virat Kohli 24 , Shreyas Iyer 22)

Shreyas Iyer survives a couple of close calls Coetzee’s fourth over; not only does he go for an aerial flick over the fielder at leg slip, he guides a short ball from Coetzee dangerously close to gully three balls later. FOUR! Kohli punches a full delivery from Jansen down the ground in the following over to move to 24.

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FOUR! Streaky boundary for Iyer after he guides a short-of-length ball aimed at his hips over the fielder placed at leg slip. Iyer could’ve been in danger if he didn’t get as much height on the shot. IND 64/3

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After 20 overs,India 60/3 ( Virat Kohli 19 , Shreyas Iyer 15)

Big shout for LBW by Coetzee against Kohli in the fourth delivery of the 19th over, and the South Africans decide against going for the review. Meanwhile, Temba Bavuma’s seen hobbling off the field in the following over after giving the ball a chase towards the extra cover boundary, giving Kohli all the time in the world to come back for a second. Worried faces in the South African camp as the physio comes out and assists Bavuma in returning to the dressing room. Dean Elgar, who’s set to hang up his boots at the end of this series, takes over captaincy duties — something that he did the last time India toured South Africa.

15:30 (IST)

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After 16 overs,India 50/3 ( Virat Kohli 15 , Shreyas Iyer 9)

Four off Coetzee’s second over including a brace to Iyer in the first delivery, with the Indian No 5 guiding the ball square off a thick leading edge and getting enough time to return to the striker’s end. Marco Jansen’s brought back in the following over after a three-over spell, with the Proteas looking to keep a left-arm quick from the other end. Concedes just a single in his fourth over.

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After 16 overs,India 50/3 ( Virat Kohli 15 , Shreyas Iyer 9)

Gerald Coetzee’s introduced for the first time in the 15th over, conceding a single each to Iyer and Kohli. Kohli then collects a couple of boundaries off Burger in the following over, producing a straight drive in the first delivery following by a flick four balls later. 50 up on the board for the visiting team a healthy little partnership starting to build for the fourth wicket.