Dean Elgar leads Proteas to strong position at stumps on day three

A gritty unbeaten 46 from skipper Dean Elgar led the Proteas to a strong position at the close of play on day three of the second Test against India.

The Proteas had earlier bowled India out for 266 to ensure they needed to chase 240 to win the second Test and level the series.

Proteas well-placed to level series

South Africa reached 118 for 2 by stumps on day three still needing 122 runs to win the match.

Aiden Markram played a stroke-filled innings of 31 off just 38 balls to get the chase off to a rollicking start but his dismissal, ironically while playing a defensive stroke, prompted a change in approach.

Keagan Petersen played a watchful 24 in a 46-run second-wicket partnership but Ravichandran Ashwin accounted for the 28-year-old and might have sparked a panic.

Elgar and Rassie van der Dussen took few risks as they took South Africa to stumps, content to come back and try again on Thursday.

There is plenty of time for the Proteas to get the runs but the wicket still has plenty in it and may start to offer some more purchase for Ashwin to get into the game.

Rabada pegs India back after see-saw morning session

It had seemed as though India would post a much stiffer target when Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara extended their stay at the crease and took their team to drinks with 151 runs on the board and just two wickets down.

Kagiso Rabada had other ideas though and a three-over passage from the quick turned things right around as he removed both set batsmen and India’s counterattacking threat Rishabh Pant.

Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Marco Jansen each bagged three wickets, but the pacemen would have been disappointed with the runs given away once they were into India’s tail.

Hanuma Vihari (40 not out) marshalled the lower order well to ensure their final four partnerships yielded 82 runs, and those runs are the reason India are still in the game.