WATCH: South Africans’ cheers turn to groans after Philander pulls off a Bumrah to save Rahane
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From safety posters to nervous laughter during matches, Jasprit Bumrah has made a name for himself, apart from his death bowling exploits, for regular wicket-taking no balls. This time around, it was Vernon Philander’s turn to show Bumrah that he isn’t the only one who can mess things up.
After making the bold move of batting first in Johannesburg, Indian team would have hoped for a bit of luck and surely, grit, to fight through the tough conditions. While the openers – Murali Vijay and KL Rahul – failed to do any good during their brief stay in the middle, Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli, aided by a bit of luck, forged an 84-run partnership before the latter was caught at slip for 54.Â
Rahane, who started for the first time in the series, had a point to prove in the match after numerous former players and critics questioning his exclusion in the first two Tests. But, in the 49th over of the innings, while unnecessarily throwing his bat for an away-swinging ball, the batsman gave away a simple catch to Quinton de Kock behind the stumps. While South Africans started celebrating the wicket of one of their biggest tormentors during India’s last trip to the country, umpire Aleem Dar decided to go for a no-ball check and asked Rahane to wait.
Once the replay started showing on the giant screen, South Africans’ joy turned into frustration instantly as Philander didn’t have anything behind the crease, giving Rahane a new lease of life. However, it was only matter of time before the Indian batsman got out as Morne Morkel had him trapped in the 52nd over to reduce India to 113/4.Â
Philander_no_ball from BhaiyyaKhiladi on Vimeo.
