India vs South Africa LIVE Cricket Score, 1st Test Day 1: IND 107/5; Rabada removes Iyer, Kohli after lunch

17:18 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

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

17:15 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

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

17:13 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

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)

India vs South Africa LIVE

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)

17:00 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

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

16:59 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

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.

16:56 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

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

16:53 (IST)

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.

16:45 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

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)

16:43 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

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.

16:24 (IST)

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.  

16:04 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

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

15:56 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

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.

15:55 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

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

15:45 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

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.

15:42 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

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

15:38 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

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)

India vs South Africa LIVE

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.

15:23 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

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.

15:21 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

FOUR! Kohli leans into the fuller delivery from Burger and drives this straight down the ground, placing it comfortably wide of mid off! A worthy contender for 'Shot of the Day' so far. IND 46/3

15:10 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

After 14 overs,India 40/3 ( Virat Kohli 6 , Shreyas Iyer 8)

DROPPED AGAIN! Another catch has been put down square of the wicket, and this time it’s Tony de Zorzi who fails to grab what is an even simpler catch compared to what Marco Jansen got in the previous over. Was a full delivery from Burger that Kohli attempted to flick through square leg. Both Iyer and Kohli have been given reprieves by the Proteas and will hope to make the most of it. South Africa, meanwhile, will know that they could have had India five-down at this point.

15:08 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

After 13 overs,India 38/3 ( Virat Kohli 4 , Shreyas Iyer 8)

FOUR! Marco Jansen’s dropped a chance at backward point after an aerial drive by Iyer off a full, wide delivery from Rabada! The ball not only bursts through Jansen’s palms but runs all the way to the square boundary. Four off the 13th over. Time for the players to have a drink.

15:06 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

After 12 overs,India 34/3 ( Virat Kohli 4 , Shreyas Iyer 4)

FOUR! And now a boundary to Virat Kohli, as he decides to roll his wrists to an inswinging delivery from Burger, guiding it through the midwicket region! Both Kohli and Iyer open their accounts with boundaries. 10 runs and a wicket from Burger’s third over.

15:05 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

FOUR! Indian No 5 Shreyas Iyer’s off the mark right away with a boundary, going for a flick off an overpitched delivery from Nandre Burger with the ball rolling away to the midwicket fence! IND 29/3

14:55 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

OUT! Make that two wickets inside three overs for Nandre Burger, as he gets Shubman Gill caught behind down the leg side the very next over after dismissing Jaiswal! The umpire had initially ruled it not out and skipper Bavuma decides to take this upstairs after a quick chat. Ultra-Edge then confirms a deflection off Gill’s glove. Outstanding start to the left-arm quick’s Test career, with South Africa’s pace factory continuing to churn out quality quicks time and again! IND 24/3

Gill c Verreyne b Burger 2(12)

14:51 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

OUT! Maiden Test wicket for Nandre Burger on debut, as Yashasvi Jaiswal departs after getting off to a promising start! And Team India find themselves in a spot of bother, losing both openers early after being invited to bat by the Proteas. Burger bowled a couple of short-of-length deliveries to Jaiswal, which the southpaw decided to leave. Decides to bowl a fuller one along the same line and this time Jaiswal ends up getting an outside nick that results in a simple catch for keeper Verreyne. What's more, its a wicket-maiden for Burger! IND 23/2 after 10

Jaiswal c Verreyne b Burger 17(37)

14:43 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

After 9 overs,India 23/1 ( Yashasvi Jaiswal 17 , Shubman Gill 1)

Gill gets off the mark with a single at the start of the ninth over. Rabada bowls four consecutive dots before Jaiswal helps himself to a single to keep the strike.

14:38 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

After 8 overs,India 21/1 ( Yashasvi Jaiswal 16 , Shubman Gill 0)

Nandre Burger in action for the first time in Test cricket! And the left-arm seamer starts off with a beauty outside off to Jaiswal that shapes away in the last second, travelling close to the outside edge. FOUR! Jaiswal responds with a cracking shot cut off a short-of-length delivery outside off the very next delivery. Solid response from the southpaw after the sharp delivery at the start of the over. Four off the over.

14:36 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

After 7 overs,India 17/1 ( Yashasvi Jaiswal 12 , Shubman Gill 0)

Second consecutive maiden for Rabada as Gill, on strike for the first time, decides to negotiate his way through the over cautiously. He does cop a painful blow on his abdomen in the final delivery of the over, though he brushes it off without much fuss.

14:34 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

After 6 overs,India 17/1 ( Yashasvi Jaiswal 12 , Shubman Gill 0)

FOUR! Another boundary for Jaiswal, who steers a slightly short from Jansen outside off through the gap between third slip and gully. He moves into double figures in the process. Meanwhile, Shubman Gill joins Jaiswal at the centre and is yet to face a delivery.

14:26 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

OUT! Kagiso Rabada gets the early breakthrough for the Proteas as Rohit Sharma falls for the short-ball trap! Rabada fires a short-of-length delivery down leg, and the India skipper goes for the pull shot that he executes so effortlessly. Except this time he guides it towards long leg where Nandre Burger grabs a sitter. Wicket maiden for KG Rabada! IND 13/1 after 5

Rohit c Burger b Rabada 5(14)

14:23 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

After 4 overs,India 13/0 ( Yashasvi Jaiswal 8 , Rohit Sharma (C) 5)

FOUR! Second boundary for Jaiswal as he leans into a full delivery from Jansen and drives it through the covers! India have collected three boundaries in the first four overs of the innings.

14:20 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

After 3 overs,India 9/0 ( Yashasvi Jaiswal 4 , Rohit Sharma (C) 5)

FOUR! First boundary of the innings for Rohit as he gets on the backfoot and goes for a solid punch through the point region in the third delivery of the over.

14:19 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

After 2 overs,India 5/0 ( Yashasvi Jaiswal 4 , Rohit Sharma (C) 1)

Left-arm quick Marco Jansen steams in from the other end, with skipper Rohit Sharma on strike. The Proteas have Tony de Zorzi at short leg, meaning Jansen might target the ‘Hitman’ with a few short balls aimed at his ribcage. Rohit gets off the mark with a single off the second ball. Four consecutive dots follow. Tidy start for Jansen.

14:07 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

After 1 over,India 4/0 ( Yashasvi Jaiswal 4 , Rohit Sharma (C) 0)

FOUR! That’s one way to open one’s account! Jaiswal decides to negotiate the first five deliveries carefully, with KG Rabada varying his lengths on the channel outside the off stump. Rabada decides to bowl a fuller delivery along the middle stump in the final ball, and Jaiswal has little problem flicking this towards the square leg fence.

14:05 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

Right then, Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal walk out to open the innings, the latter hoping to continue his excellent form in Tests after his fantastic debut in the West Indies. Rohit, meanwhile, returns to action for the first time since the World Cup final, and will hope to lead from the front once again. Kagiso Rabada to bowl the first over of the day.

13:57 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

Teams:

South Africa: Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma(c), Keegan Petersen, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne(wk), Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Kagiso Rabada, Nandre Burger

India: Rohit Sharma(c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

13:53 (IST)

Captain speak:

Temba Bavuma, South Africa captain: We’re going to bowl. Bit of moisture in the wicket. We’d like to use that, make early inroads and put them under pressure. Lungi’s only one not available for selection. Only fit now, but in consideration for the second Test. Two debutants — Nandre Burger and David Bedingham. Four seamers and seven batters. Always look forward to coming up against India, will be a tough battle. Also the sentiment of the series, Freedom Trophy and what it means. This being Dean Elgar’s last series adds to it.

Rohit Sharma, India captain: Honestly wasn’t too sure. Times like these, it’s better to lose the toss. We’re quite aware of the conditions. We’ve been here a few times. This obviously will be challenging with the conditions overhead and a bit of grass on the pitch. Everytime we come here we come with really high hopes. We’ve come close to winning the series in our last two visits. We’ve got four seamers and a spinner. Ashwin’s playing in place of Jadeja. Jaddu had a neck spasm this morning. Prasidh Krishna makes his debut.

13:51 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

South Africa win the toss and skipper Temba Bavuma opts to field!

13:36 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

Prasidh Krishna gets his cap and will make his India Test debut. Jasprit Bumrah hands Krishna the Test cap

13:35 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

Good news from the middle. Umpires are done with the inspection and toss will take place in 15 minutes. So toss at 1:45 PM IST and start at 2 PM IST.

13:22 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

Rahul Dravid hints Prasidh Krishna could make his debut today: "We come close a couple of times and we've played some good cricket here. Maybe a few critical moments...we haven't been able to get over the line. Having said that, we looked at the last series - we bowled well there and we have the ability to take 20 wickets. You need some luck in these conditions as well; there are a lot of plays and misses. You have to ensure you put the ball in right areas and bat with discipline and recognise that you're never in, in these conditions in South Africa. You need to get little things right against a good team like South Africa. Prasidh is a promising prospect, but we have to be realistic that this is his first Test match. He hasn't had a lot of first-class cricket to fall back on because of a number of reasons. But I'm hoping he has a good game and enjoys himself. It's such a lovely moment when we give out a new cap to someone."

13:16 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

The pitch is being dried out using a hair-dryer. Players are warming up and the sun is out. Vernon Philander had his sunglasses on which is a good thing. Let's await the umpire's verdict in 15 minutes time

13:09 (IST)

India vs South Africa 1st Test Day 1

Former South Africa bowler Vernon Philander on the delayed start: "I think, to be honest, it's highly frustrating. But there's been 40 hours of rain up north in Centurion and pitch has been under covers. There are still some wet spots. The sun is peeking in and hopefully we have a restart soon."

12:59 (IST)

India vs South Africa 1st Test LIVE

Shaun Pollock and Ravi Shastri with the toss report: "Good covering of grass. Teams tend to bat first because it tends to start a bit slow. As the Test progresses, there might be a bit of up and down movement which could be tricky to handle. Batting will get difficult as the Test progresses. With the weather conditions, South Africa would be tempted to go without a spinner. With the sun out, the pitch tends to crack a bit more and get the spinners into play. Don't expect the pitch to change too much across the Test. The best approach is bat first, guts it out in the first two session and be happy if you're just 2 down at Lunch."

12:53 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE: Weather prediction

The Test could lose two days of action with rain expected to fall today and tomorrow. Things look bleak already despite it being dry for now.

12:48 (IST)

TOSS DELAYED AT CENTURION!

Not the best way to start a Test series. Overnight rain at Centurion has resulted in wet patches along the ground. There will be an inspection at 1:30 PM IST

12:42 (IST)

India's Test record in South Africa

India’s record in South Africa reads: 23 matches, 4 wins, 12 defeats and 7 draws. These are spread over eight series and in all but one attempt, South Africa have won

India’s four Test wins have come in 2006, 2010, 2018 and 2021 under the leadership of Rahul Dravid, MS Dhoni and twice with Virat Kohli.

India first travelled to South Africa in November 1992 under the captaincy of Mohammad Azharuddin and lost 0-1. Then Sachin Tendulkar held the captaincy duties in 1996 and the team lost 0-2. Since then, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli (KL Rahul, too, for one match) have stepped in as captains but never been able to steer the team to a series win.

12:37 (IST)

India vs South Africa LIVE

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the India vs South Africa Test series that gets underway today at the SuperSport Park in Centurion. Another opportunity for India to end their winless record in the Rainbow Nation. Is this it?