PRETORIA, DECEMBER 29
South Africa rode their luck to reach 22 for one at tea against India as they chased a record victory target of 305 on a spicy wicket on day four of the first test at Centurion Park on Wednesday.
Captain Dean Elgar (nine) and Keegan Petersen (12) will take up the challenge after the interval with potentially 42 overs still remaining in the day.
Aiden Markram (one) became the sixth victim in the test for the excellent Mohammed Shami when he made a late decision to leave a delivery outside off-stump, but the ball caught the inside edge and clattered into his stumps.
The wicket is a treacherous one for the batsmen, and perfect for the Indian seamers to exploit.
There is sideways movement, but also variable bounce with some deliveries staying low and others spitting off the surface with exaggerated bounce. That is not unusual for the ground.
The highest fourth innings chase at Centurion Park is 251 for eight by England in 2000, an infamous test where both teams agreed to forfeit an innings after rain to force a result.
The next highest is 226 for four by South Africa against Pakistan in 1998.
There is some rain predicted for the final day on Thursday, though if it does come it will likely be in the afternoon, leaving plenty of time for a result.
India were bowled out for 174 in their second innings, the South African seamers expertly using the conditions with Kagiso Rabada (4-42) and 21-year-old left-arm debutant Marco Jansen (4-55) the chief wicket-takers.
None of the tourists' batsmen were able to get settled at the crease with Rishabh Pant (34) the top scorer as he tried to take the attack to the bowlers.
There was more disappointment for Indi captain Virat Kohli (18) as he chased a wide delivery for the second time in the test and was caught by wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock off the bowling of Jansen.
In 14 tests since the start of 2020, Kohli has scored 652 runs at an average of 26.08.
