South Africa vs India, 3rd Test, India tour of South Africa, 2017-18 - CommentaryRSA vs IND, 3rd Test, India tour of South Africa, 2017-18 - Commentary

Abhishek: Excellent win! The fast bowling has been sensational and all together India look a new team with that added dimension .May be the first time India have gobbled up all the wickets in a series and the majority of them shared by the pacers. More good test cricket to follow in England!

VSD: This is best proof that Test match cricket is best among all formats. Only real cricket lovers can feel it

Harsha Bhogle: Wow, this is Test cricket. Always gives you a second chance. Tests you in a myriad ways.

Harsha Bhogle: One of the finest Indian wins overseas. Will go down with Melbourne, Leeds, Perth. Have seen wins fashioned by spin. This the first from a pace quartet. Something to savour.

Harsha Bhogle: This is a collapse of epic proportions from South Africa. A quartet of Indian pacers winning a game overseas. Always a first

Harsha Bhogle: This is a special spell of fast bowling from India. Played four, all contributing.

S Venkataraman: "Kagiso Rabada could be the big bottleneck for India in this innings of SA."

Apoorva: "Talk about Shami's rhythm..."

ChandanV: "OMG, test match is at its best right now. Both teams have a chance to win this."

DK: "Three matches and almost three keepers for India."

Raman Sudhakar: "Walk on Water gave India the push just at the right time!" -- I know, right! Love that song.

Rohit: "Floodgates are open now.. Not much batting left"

Harsha Bhogle: Two completely different aspects of our game today. Commerce ruling in T20 in a very interesting IPL Auction. And a riveting test match reaching a climax.

MK: "To me this was never a dead rubber. Two reasons: The first one is India wanted to avoid a whitewash, the second being SA wanting to whitewash India which they haven't done before."

Harsha Bhogle: I like the new rule of allowing a substitute to keep wickets. Dinesh Karthik behind the wickets for India.

Himanshu Agrawal: "Bumrah has troubled ABD every time in this series"

Abhi P.V: "For a major part of the series, India have actually been better that the hosts. But India have let themselves down at critical junctures in each of the games. ABD's counter attack in the first, Hardik Pandya's careless run-out in the second, and some wayward bowling in this"

Ubaid Shah: "Pitch is poor when the lengths are poor"

Poor Pitch: "Poor pitch: The pitch where heavy roller washes out hopes." -- And washes out opposition?

Kirankir: "A poor pitch is one where 2nd innings scores are more than that 1st innings"

Piyush: "Poor pitch is nothing but cricbuzz without have your say."

Syed Imtiaz Ali Shah: "poor pitch is the one where India can't win"

Shweta: "A poor pitch is usually a good excuse for losers"

Aashish Gambhir: "Poor Pitch : Where Pandya looks like a regular bowler"

Akshay: "Poor pitch is nothing but a car without breaks"

Kartikeya Mehta: "Poor pitch: A pitch which requires 5 fast bowlers."

Shreya: "I swear, the commentators are jinxing India's bowling! Every time they compliment their bowling, Amla hits a four!"

manoj: "Kohli missing a trick here. Bring back his fifth bowler.." -- This is dark humour.

Akhilesh: "A wicket is so near yet so far."

reshwanth: "Are South Africa favorites now?" -- Still think India are a wicket away from the overwhelming favourite tag

Akeno: "Question: Is the odd-ball taking off from the length or not?" -- No, but South Africa's chances in this match sure are

Manoj: "I think India lacking a spinner in form of Jadeja, he could have exploited these conditions by bowling over the wicket, using foot marks and completing overs quickly."

Mayank: "Sad but the only time the batsmen stepped up for India is also the only time their bowlers might fail to get the 10 wickets in this series." -- To early to say that, Mayank

Akshay: "Strange.... From every ball nearly producing a wicket we have reached a situation where we don't know where the next wicket will come from....Cricket is a funny game."

nihar: "Is it the heavy roller that's settled down pitch for some time coupled with the moisture made available by the rain?" -- likely

KP CHAUBEY: "I think the pitch has been changed by South Africa due to yesterday's bouncer" -- you're funny

RajatS: "Has all the drama set India off course?"

Utkarsh: "Give Ishant the ball and tell him he went unsold today."

mayur: "Poor Ishant. No bowling spell this morning. No bids at the IPL auction"

Pankaj: "Pitch has been repaired? Looks like now its a batting pitch" -- only because they haven't bowled the lengths they did yesterday

Vishal: "Is Ishant injured or something? Why hasn't he bowled yet in this innings?"

sheik: "India have an 80% chance to win" -- not if they bowl this short, not a chance

tirthankar: "@David - FYI, the SA team manager Mr. Moosajee said that the ball that hit Elgar, spat from a good length. I hope, you saw those several replays that show where the ball landed, in reality."

Ashish Gunaji: "If there would have been one good innings from any of the Indian batsmen in first two tests apart from Kohli, India would have been eyeing an series victory" ------ They certainly have had their moments in the first two Tests, couldn't just grab it.

Mohammad Waji: "On a positive note, I think all this pitch fiasco along with breathtaking cricket on both tours between these nations has added fuel to fire between these sides. Ashes has a tough competitor now!" ------- Certainly been a high-voltage series.

David: "As a neutral audience, I think it has been injustice to SA by the media and even the commentators (Gavaskar). I mean SA players have never ever complained about the pitch in the match, it was only the match referee and the umpires who from the start of the day were discussing it."

Harsha Bhogle: So the test will continue tomorrow. It was inevitable. There was no other possibility.

Vishank Razdan: On almost halfway of the pitch and the batter batting outside of crease, it is lack of judgement rather than the misbehavior of pitch. Surely cannot call off a test match on this Bumrah ball especially after the grind of Indian batters.

Abhishek: A separate panel of curators should be prepared by the ICC .Members of the panel should go to the grounds of the venue prior to the series to oversee the preparation of pitches and ensure "competitive "pitches at that venue or bilateral series would loose their context in the coming times .

Mukund Chippalkatti: I don't think this pitch is in bad condition so as to stop the game. It is quite similar to the one in Nagpur only the difference being it was turning square there and it has uneven bounce here.

Harsha Bhogle: While what happened to Elgar was unfortunate, the track hasn't done anything different from what it did all day. I don't believe the captains should be involved because the state of the match can come into it. The umpires must take a call and with the match referee rule on whether or not the game should go on.

Utkarsh: "What is with Shami doing everything on one of the two ends of the spectrum? Never seen a more momentum relied player. But it's working out for India, so I guess we should enjoy it."

Jishnu R B: "Conclusions : 1) Rohit Sharma is not even comparable to Rahane as a middle-order bat, esp. overseas; 2) Bhuvi is your fast bowling all-rounder and not Pandya; 3) Play enough practice matches while touring abroad."

SKB: "So South Africa will chase 200+ approx and they have to play their best cricket to win this game from here"

Harsha Bhogle: This isn't just a brave innings from Rahane; it is that of a highly accomplished player

JAI LAKHIANI: "Isn't Bhuvneshwar doing Pandya's job better than Pandya?"

Harsha Bhogle: Very impressed by the attitude of the Indian team in playing on. Not just brave but smart too. Realise they have the runs on the board. Up to SA to take a call now. Unless the umpires have had enough.

P G: "Any sign of Phehlukwayo? 57 overs in and he hasn't bowled yet?"

Amrit: "This is looking like a replay of the first innings. 144-5 in both."

Pujara: "@chandan it's equal to 65 runs, (300/187)*41. Simple math, guys."

Chandan Malav: "Can we say that these 41 runs from Kohli are nothing short of a hundred on this pitch?"

Pranav: "India generally loses its momentum after Virat's wicket. Especially in this series."

Utkarsh: "Are you guys getting a dollar or something every time you say intent?" -- If we did, someone else would be typing this out for us *wink*

Ashraf: "Is the pitch getting easier to bat on or the bowlers are losing interest?" -- I mean it's played better lately but we'll do well to not judge a wicket when Virat Kohli is batting

Viswa: "Looks like the two have realized, strike rotation is a weapon to frustrate a bowler, though rarely used in this series"

kanha: "Look like "Virat vs Wanderers...""

R Kumar: "This pitch is playable, unlike the one in the video clip ...."

Tattwamasi Amrutam: "Virat is showing why he is rated so highly by everyone."

Rahul Senjaliya: "Is 200 safe on this pitch?" -- Is it wearing an arm-guard? Needs it on this pitch.

Karthik: "Would have been interesting if either team had a spinner on this wicket." -- Did you mean relieving?

Rohit Kumar: "This is turning out to be Kotla, without the smog though!" -- There must have been smog, which seems to have settled into the pitch

Harsha Bhogle: Very naughty pitch but so far India have found a way to survive. Umpires have begun looking at it closely

Stuart: "Don't think I've ever seen the physio called for so much. They should rename the ground The Wounderers..."

Aman: "I remember a match held in Delhi against SL, which was abandoned due to a dangerous pitch. That might also be a result of this match too"

Akash Bhandwalkar: "What is special in Virat, AB's batting: when they are at the crease, irrespective of conditions the scoreboard keeps moving."

babu: "lead into 60s" -- Everyone's getting old gee

Shivam: "The only positive I see with this Indian innings is the presence of Kohli on the field, he keeps the scorecard moving, and with a bit of luck, his innings can make a big difference. On the green devil (pitch) like this, as a batsman luck and patience is all you need."

GP: "Looking at the way the pitch is behaving, I doubt even a century partnership of leaves"

Parth: "Do we exaggerate difficult balls as unplayable or they really are unplayable?" -- Morne is 6'5'' and his fuller lengths deliveries are doing exactly two things: rolling to the keeper or taking his head off

lokesh: "I think Vijay and Kohli will put on a century partnership" -- of leaves?

Venkat Vishal: "Kohli doesn't seem to wearing that red shirt this innings." -- Must have come with a one-time-lucky clause

KD: "When the CB commentator says 'Did nothing off the pitch' to specifically explain a delivery, one can only imagine what is happening with other deliveries." -- Nothing much actually. Some uneven bounce and a bit of seam to totally corrode a batsman's being

Rahul: "As per stump mics, Kohli is silent in this match as compared to first two tests. Is he planning on how to bat?" -- I just think these stump mics aren't as good

Arun Arora: "What is weather forecast for next two days? Can we expect a result?" --- Death, suffering and a result on this pitch; these are the realities of life (and in that order)

TaskForce: "Vignesh says he liked the close contest, but what matters in the end are the results. It has been the same rhetoric by MSD and now Kohli that process is more important than result. But I have run out of patience as to when this will transpire into results."

Vignesh: "Irrespective of the result of this match, after few years this series' results won't do any justice to how closely it was contested. Though India have won matches on previous trips, this will remain sweet because of playing fire with fire. Kudos India. Can't wait for subsequent overseas assignments."

Harsha Pk: "Very good start from India......For the First time in the series openers have contributed....middle order can play with less pressure on them, should add some 150-180 runs and It might be impossible for SA."

Umang Miharia: "Nobody is talking about with Umesh Yadav now ! A year ago wasn't he supposed to lead this attack in SA given he got the consistency people were earlier talking about ? Would have been better than Shami who's good when it usually reverses and Umesh has that ability as well."

Saikumar: "Finally, Indian batsmen showed some INTENT here."

MANOJ KUMAR: "What is a safe total that India can defend?" --------- The talk here in the comm. box is that a lead of 150-175 could be quite an advantage.

Vaibhav Jhamb: "Has the pitched eased out a bit or the positive intent from the Indian Batsmen (highly unlikely) is getting on the bowlers?" -------- This isn't a pitch that is going to ease out. If anything, it should only get tougher to bat on. You could argue that the SA pacers haven't quite their straps this innings so far. Having said that, Vijay and Rahul have shown better application.

Harsh M: "Excellent move to send PP up the order. Agreed that he's made 16, but these aren't 'just 16'... Mark my words, these are going to be decisive in the outcome of this Test." --------- Righto! Every run is definitely worth its weight in gold on such a surface.

Kishore: "When the home side batsmen also struggle on a wicket, be it a seaming one like this or the Pune minefield last year against Australia, it has to be a bad one where it is too much skewed in favor of ball over bat!"

Ashutosh: "Holding said on commentary that there must have been a lucky draw for who gets to open and somehow, this seems to be the only valid explanation for this!!" -------- The idea was to spring a surprise and of course, use the left-right combination as an advantage. Patel's role was probably to score some quick runs.

Jay: "Is it the left-right combination or lack of faith in Rahul that brings out PP?"

Vivek: "Openers need to step up. At least clear the deficit..."

Sooryanadh Ramadas: Amla (61) - Kohli (54) = is the lead (7)

Karthik: "1 more run for Morkel and we'll be the first ones to prove Newton wrong!"

Shubham: "Strengthening the Newton's law, only the 3rd, 4th and the 8th player reached double figures."

Naveen Vemula: "Perfect time for the Indian bowlers to close things and see that the lead is not more than 10"

Shubham: "Strengthening the Newton's law, only the 3rd, 4th and the 8th player reached double figures."

Ruthwik: "Bumrah smacks Amla down off his luck horse." -- That horse ran for a gloriously long time then

Anubhav Singh: "According to Newton's third law, only 3 batsmen from SA should make double figures..."

Ankur Parashar: "Philander (and Rabada) doing what Pandya and Parthiv couldn't. Is this what will change the match?

Irfaan: "What could be an impact of a spinner on this pitch?" -- guess what, we'll never know. "If it seams, it spins," someone with 700 odd Test wickets had once said

satish r: "dangerous partnership developing, India needs to break the same quickly"

Sooryanadh: "Why not around the wicket to Amla?"

Dr. Pankaj: "Is it fair to say that Virat will be the only Centurion in this test series?" -- I think there's already been more than one Centurion in the series

Ankit Kumar: "Parthiv has really improved a lot after the Centurion Test"

Vinod Bhadgu: "One of the premiere problem of Indian bowling is that they fail to pick up the wickets of tail-enders" -- Let's say they do it after the show's over

Akhil Kondapaneni‏: "If Shami needs the whole innings to get into the groove all the time, we have genuine reason to worry ahead of our future away tours"

Prasidh: "Btw, Pujara turned 30 today."

zaheer: "Shami should be brought back now.." -- Kohli's heard you

pratit hadke: "I think Bhuvi is the only player in this Indian team who has cemented his place in all three formats after Kohli....isn't it?"

Abbas Husain: "Not often do we see ABD getting bowled. Was it the ball or the pitch?" -- It was the bowler who was dropped at Centurion.

Akash: "Kohli gave one reason to drop Bhuvi in the last game, Bhuvi gave him many reasons to keep him in the team!"

ajay: "Still can't rule out an innings loss for India in this match, watching a nightwatchman's intensity"

Frank: "Rabada is leaving the good ones alone and putting the bad ones away with nice foot movement. Vijay can learn a thing or two from him."

Jaheed: "India is overly reliant on Bhuvi as only he looks like taking a wicket in every over. Shami & Bumrah are off the radar!"

Karan Mangwani: "If Rabada does a Bhuvi here by getting those odd 30-40 runs so early in the match, it's gonna hurt India pretty badly later" -- Rabada seems to have consumed the superstar potion today!

Chirag: "Everyone talking about the poor pitch but Rabada is right up there, facing more than 60 balls."

Amit Vikram: "Well as it appears, it's more a mental game than the pitch playing its part, otherwise, lower order batsmen like Bhuvneshwar and Rabada won't be scoring any runs."

PD: "Bring back Bhuvi into attack. Shami and Bumrah leaking runs here. Should not give easy runs to SA"

Abhi Bhatt: "Like to see the approach of ABD...seeing the pitch, the counterattack won't be easy!!" -- He might make it seem so but India first need Rabada

Divyansh: "Well, if we are talking about a poor pitch, let's not forget that when they toured India, we gave them Nagpur, so we must not expect anything better than Johannesburg....." -- And Mohali, too!

Bharadwaj Datta: "I accept that it is a poor pitch but let's not forget the fact that a few Indian batsmen got out cheaply. Which could easily account to a minimum of 40 runs" -- Well that third session lost India the day. Andile was plain superb.

Luke Mortimer: "let's not complain about the pitch until both teams have batted. 24-2 is too early on to be making bold proclamations about the pitch not being batting-friendly. Furthermore, the game involves 3 disciplines, there is no reason that batting should be the dominant one!"

Pavan: "I love this, this is a contest between bat and ball, not the mindless crap we normally get fed where the bat dominates most of the time and if you do get out, it's because you played a rank bad shot. Here you actually get nailed by good bowling!" -- But we have to take into account the things pitch does to the ball without the bowler's permission, no?

Dr Rajgopal: "Andile did a good job as the 5th bowler yesterday. Time for Hardik to step up to the podium?"

Chaitanya Sharma: "Nagpur's pitch was India's friend and this one is South Africa's. The thing that matters in the end is the result. Don't want that MCG kind of a pitch!"

Kunal: "It's evident that the home advantage is exploited by all teams but pitches like these, or even Nagpur, are just a spoilsport and have too much riding on luck. A nick here and there, a few streaky boundaries can dictate the game. Doesn't seem fair, certainly a poor pitch this."

Tejas Joshi: "I guess Pujara's comment that '187 is like 300 on this pitch' is spot on. Look at the Indian bowling! Superb."

Saurabh Gupta: "Yesterday Sourav Ganguly tweeted against the pitch and asked ICC to look into it. He said that he faced the same conditions in New Zealand. Now it makes sense. This isn't a Test match pitch."

Harsha Bhogle: You often hear players saying "you're never in on this pitch". This is that pitch. This isn't a fair pitch in a bat vs ball contest.

Abhijeet Shivam: "Virat responded yesterday by accepting Pujara's denial for quick singles and today he is standing at midoff. He's understanding his limitations and also of his teammates. Learning curve"

Aman: "Should not the Indian slip fielders come closer as we have seen QDK position the slip cordon closer to the batsmen for the catches carry to them?" -- difficult to do that against the new ball, but yeah, the bounce this morning has indeed been up-and-down

Anan Banerjee: O come on. Bhuvi is such a horse that can deal with any course. I personally think Bhuvi should have played in the 2nd Test, although appreciate the fact that Virat knows more about international cricket than I do :D

Nithin TS: Why on earth he (Bhuvneshwar) was left in second Test? -- Because India believe in horses for courses.

Venkat: Will outcome of this Test change our ICC rankings or is it already changed? -- Nope. India safely hold on to the number one spot even if they lose this Test.

gourav: Why Rahane is not in the slip cordon? -- He's at gully.

Narendra Venkatesh: Bhuvi is showing better application than some of the other top order batsmen, I think he should bat higher than what he is now. -- In the top seven?

Keshore: Watching the India's batting collapses throughout the series, I just wonder if the captain's aggression has rubbed off a bit too much on the batsmen. Totally uncharacteristic batting display all through the series.

Subrat: We can understand the words reckless and relentless taking the example of Pandya and Pujara.

Harsha Bhogle: Possibly a tricky 12-14 overs await South Africa. Opportunity for India to score a few points.

RAVI: Is it the pitch or poor Indian batting responsible for the collapse? -- Bit of both.

Parsu: Out of all, Ngidi troubled Virat Kohli quite often today. Is it fair to say he's good enough to trouble any batsmen in the world? -- Too early to call. The next series against Australia (Steve Smith) should give us a fair picture.

Naresh Pandey: Do you think India is missing a senior cricketer in team? I think too much of young blood can also be nasty especially in foreign pitches. -- Majority of this team have toured overseas before. So, there is experience.

Manoj: Is it ok to say that Indian bowlers will also produce similar spells given the pitch remains same? -- Yes.

PreetDabre: Bhuvi plays like a smart batsman. Didn't Steve Smith start as a bowler too? (Do we have a Jack Kallis in the making here?) -- Then what is Pandya?

Sushant Manda: "Pujara could have opened the innings making way for Ashwin as a better middle order batsman, comparing his stats."

Ajey negi: "I guess with this kind of a shot selection, African pitches are just an excuse. They will get out even on Indian pitches playing those"

Sunny: "Should Bhuvneshwar Kumar start opening the innings now?" -- Given how the series has panned out, the suggestion doesn't even sound preposterous

Ronak Daga: "I guess the talk of the series has been Rohit vs Rahane" -- I think there's been a lot of talk in the series

Harsha Bhogle: Abstinence lent strength to India. Without Pujara's 50 and his numbing of the bowling, India would have been looking at a more meager total

Shubham: "Statistically speaking, Dhawan had more runs in 1 innings than Rahul has in 3!" -- It's a crazy, crazy world of cricket

Jishan: "@Arun 'failed to capitalize against old and soft ball'? We lost our first 3 wickets so quickly in all the four innings previously that Rohit had to walk in to face a newish, hard ball. Still Rahane over Rohit for me though."

Arun: "I think it's not fair to compare Rohit and Vijay, who faces lot of music with the new ball whereas the best time to score runs has been against the old and soft ball, and yet Rohit hasn't capitalized."

Ankit Kumar: "Earlier in the day, Pujara did a Dravid by getting off the mark after 50 balls and now he's doing a Sachin by not playing the cover drive"

Sanket: "Wasn't it harsh on Rohit, having scored more than Pujara and Vijay and still being dropped?"

Pavan: "If each of Pujara, Parthiv, Pandya and Bhuvneshwar manages to score at least 30, then India would near that 250 mark, which would be a good score on this wicket."

Nitin: "India playing with an extra player today -- luck"

Capricornicus: "That is what bad company has done to South Africa's fielding and bowling..."

Arshad: "What is your prediction on India's first inning total after loss of Kohli?" -- Around 250 should be a good first innings total here but for that, India will have to play really well from here

Raj: "Friday out..... Tuesday joins Monday at the crease...."

Harsha Bhogle: Well, guess his luck ran out! Ngidi had him playing and missing earlier

Harsha Bhogle: Can't take your eyes off this innings by Kohli. Has ridden his luck but he's taken on the bowling and it has been fantastic to watch

Omkar Nawathe: "Lara had a red handkerchief in his pocket when he scored 400*, Sehwag wore red (bandana) inside his helmet when he scored a triple ton, and today Kohli is wearing red inside his t-shirt. Are they really being superstitious"

VishwanathreddyPatil: "Were Kohli's drops the result of Pujara's irritating game?" -- You imply that sluggishness is contagious? After everything was once Trott's fault, it seems to be Pujara's turn now gee. #PujarasFault

Shubham Srivastav: "Friday night and Monday morning are at the crease together"

Deepak Bhat: "Is that red shirt of Kohli bringing him all this luck?!"

Shubham: "@Jagneer Bowlers have done their part well. It's the batsmen who failed in both the previous tests. So taking an extra batsman could have made more sense."

Aftab Alam: "Tough challenge awaits Rahane. Can he deliver today? Time will tell" -- Pretty certain that India en masse wouldn't want to ponder that, yet

Sanjish Thomas: "Good understanding between Kohli and ABD, carrying forward the IPL relations"

Jagneer Dhanda: "@Abhijit - Yes, the team selection is a bit surprising, but teams concentrate on taking 20 Wickets ASAP and hence are going strong bowling lineups"

Harsha Bhogle: Weird shot from Kohli. Weird drop from AB.

Abhijit: "Don't understand the strategy of both teams. If it's a green, hard wicket offering little bit of swing and lateral movement, and where wickets should come in bunch and heaps, wouldn't it be sensible to play an extra batsman instead of an extra pacer? -- Team selections seem to have evolved beyond strategies, Abhijit. You make a mighty fine point

madhu: "What's happened to Pujara?" -- Exactly what happens to batsmen who stay loyal to their own batting styles

Abhijeet Shivam: "Vijay 's form is a reason to get worried. Not only it is about low scores but how poor his dismissals were. He's shuffling a lot and is poking at deliveries outside 5th stump, something he used to leave day in and out on previous SENA tours" -- Yeah, Vijay was India's best Test batsman on the last overseas stretch

Srivats: "This innings is what India needed from Pujara in the last two tests but he seems to realize his part too late into the series"

Hemal: "Have India weathered the storm? ... what India needs is a shower of runs" -- All hail Kohli and Pujara

Gowthaman J M: "Overrate is going to be an issue in this test match because of the 10 fast bowlers playing" -- Bang on, G

SarojRaj S: "I think with Pujara's innings, Kohli would now understand the importance of letting the batsmen play in their own way"

Venkataraghavan V: "I hope I'm not jinxing. But, could this one be 2002 Leeds for Pujara? Although I understand that we don't have a Sanjay Bangar."

Kaustubh: "Have India weathered the storm?" -- Looks like for the moment but the forecast isn't good

sri: "Must appreciate Pujara for his skills. He is batting it out there unlike Vijay and Rahul who have thrown their bats around and got themselves out. India need a partnership and these two are out there to weather the storm and provide a platform for a good total."

Abdullah Salman: "A dropped chance costs you more than just a wicket. It leads to the batsman concentrating that extra bit to save his wicket which he wouldn't have done otherwise. Kohli should make use of this chance."

Nikhil Jagtap: "Pujara is doing a real steel here. Letting the Zeus get too drained to attack"

Rajesh Sodhi: "Here it is, the 50 for Pujara. Bowlers shocked, Pujara rocked." -- Now that's a piece of rhyme we all needed, Rajesh. It's been morbid at Wanderers

Kartik: "What is the record of highest number of balls played before opening the account?" -- My friend Umang Pabari has tweeted that it's Stuart Broad - 62 balls v New Zealand at Auckland in 2013

Dr Rajgopal: "Any idea if the pitch will ease out making batting easier in the second session?" -- the pitch will (should), South Africa's bowling won't

Shikhar: "Can Pujara make a 50 with ball leaves?"

Puru: "@cricbuzz. Is have your say available on android smartphones? If yes, do let me know where it is?" -- Not on the app yet but you can head to your mobile phone's browser, open Cricbuzz's mobile website and 'request desktop site' from the overflow menu. Alternatively, you can reach me @prat1204 on twitter. I'll try to pick the ones I can

Rakesh Chettikrindi: "So, a country should be having 4-5 teams then. One for away tests, and one each for home tests, odis, and t20s. Even I'll get a chance to play for India if it happens." -- We can have more than one overseas team, right? Varied conditions.

Saad Soom: "can we say Philander is using a remote-controlled ball today?"-- He sure seems to have a lot of batteries in stock

ajit: "it sounds sarcastic but can India have 2 teams, one for home conditions and another one for overseas? We have a pool of talent; just need to nourish according to conditions" -- That makes for a good debate. Different cricket formats already demand different teams today, so why can't different conditions in Test cricket be seen in the same light, right? What do you say, peeps? Fire away your agreements and disagreements using the Have Your Say option!

Brij: "So again all responsibility lies on these two early on in the innings. We can see the combination of temperament and aggression unless Pujara runs himself out again."

Shivam Upadhyay: "10 fast bowlers vs 12 batsmen...wow back into the nineties!"

ashhar: "Kohli is wearing a red t-shirt inside. Never seen that thing before. Is this some kind of superstition?" -- Don't think so. I think we are just seeing red...

Rajendra: "India must think of Rohit Sharma as an opener in test matches. Rohit is too good to sit out. He can be a game changer in long-term with his ability to convert 100s in 200s in ODIs. A similar thing can be seen in tests and one must think over this option." -- Are we going there again?!

Gaurav Sharma: "There has been Mental Swap between the Indian batsmen. Attacking ones like Rahul and Rohit are playing defensively while Pujara and Vijay are playing aggressively, resulting in loss of wickets"

Dileep Kumar: "Rahul with that back foot technique of his was just a matter of time. He hardly goes forward. Still pondering about Shikhar's exclusion. Remember he got dismissed off short balls in both the innings, unlike others who nicked behind."

Mayank Saraswat: "What a disappointment KL has been in this series" -- Some tough batting conditions, Mayank, but I see your point. Elgar and Markram have been superlative

ankit verma: "Still not sure about the INTENT.. opting for all seam attack in seaming friendly conditions and then opting to bat post winning the toss..."

Gaurav: "The only problem with current team India line up is the lack of part-time bowlers and that makes the selection more tricky. India has a history of very good part-timers in Tendulkar, Sehwag, Ganguly, Yuvraj, Raina who on many occasions have turned the game around."

Niraj G: "I hope India hasn't hit the axe on their leg by batting first on a green top" -- One of India's greatest wins at Headingley came under similar circumstances, but wait, there are no spinners in the line-up today

Harsha Bhogle: Bit uncomfortable with the decision to be a batsman short and play five seamers. But it is a brave call.

Chandan Kushwah: "Doesn't Vernon and Venom sound similar" -- They might feel similar too, in about eight minutes

karan: "1st innings score prediction, guys? My prediction is 330 - 350" -- It will be the median of India's intent and South Africa's

Anil Vashist: "Wow, India going in with all pacers and no spinner. When did it last happen?" -- It was against Australia at Perth on the 2011-12 tour. We all know what happened...

Edward: "Is batting first on this track a good decision?" -- It's a trade-off. Kohli would rather bat when it's moving sideways than when it's moving up-and-down. Not after Centurion, no.

Venkataraghavan V: "It's Shami who needs to be dropped. He's such a slow starter that by the time he finds his rhythm, SA would have the game in their pocket!" --- And the game will move forward quickly on this pitch!

Sathish: "I would not trade Ash for Bhuvi as Ash contributed better than most of the bastmen in both tests."

Dileep Kumar: "It seems Parthiv is gonna get a game again. I was so desperate to see Rahul given the glove work and play an extra batsman to give more depth. It is the batting that let us down."

Commentary not available for this match