Elgar's Century Puts South Africa in Strong Position
Centurion, [Date] - Dean Elgar's superb century has steered South Africa into a commanding position against India on the second day of the test match in Centurion. At Tea, South Africa stands at 194 for 3, trailing India by only 51 runs. Elgar, the left-handed opener, remains unbeaten on 115 and has formed an impressive partnership of 81 runs with debutant David Bedingham for the fourth wicket.
After a slow start during the morning session, South Africa picked up the pace following the Lunch break. The batting conditions became more favorable, with the pitch offering limited assistance to the Indian bowlers. Elgar deviated from his usual defensive approach and played some confident shots, scoring boundaries with ease.
Despite a couple of setbacks, as Jasprit Bumrah claimed two quick wickets, Elgar's aggressive intent kept South Africa on track. Tony de Zorzi was caught at slip, while Keegan Petersen chopped the ball onto his stumps. However, the threat posed by the Indian pacers diminished as the ball grew older and less responsive.
The short ball tactic employed by Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur proved ineffective, with both Elgar and Bedingham taking advantage and scoring runs off them. Bedingham even had the audacity to hit both bowlers for sixes. Elgar reached his 14th Test century in style, pulling a short delivery outside off stump for a boundary.
Earlier in the day, KL Rahul played a vital role in India's quest for a competitive total. With the support of Mohammed Siraj, Rahul managed to take India's score to 245 before falling victim to Nandre Burger, who claimed his third wicket of the innings.
India made an impressive start with the ball, as Bumrah and Siraj bowled with discipline and capitalized on the helpful conditions. Aiden Markram was dismissed early, edging the ball to the wicketkeeper. However, Elgar and Zorzi displayed cautious batting, ensuring South Africa reached 49 for 1 at Lunch.
With Elgar's century and South Africa's strong position, the home team looks set to build a substantial lead over India. The match promises further excitement as the teams head into the third session of the day.
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