India vs South Africa | Predictions for Day 3 in Vizag
Mayank Agarwal’s impressive double ton and cameos from the lower order batsmen steered India to 502 in the first innings following which India declared the innings. Bodog is expecting another dominant day for the Indians tomorrow with the spinners primed to rule the roost on the favourable track.
What happened on Day 2
Having already put 202 runs on the board overnight, the Indian batsmen started from where they left on Day 1. Rohit Sharma stormed to his 150-run mark while Mayank Agarwal reached his maiden Test ton after waiting for it since making his debut at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Boxing Day last year. Sharma finally fell prey to Keshav Maharaj’s spin web for 176 with India going to lunch with 324 for the loss of one wicket.
The post-lunch session was a mixed one for both the teams, for a change. The new ball did the trick for the Proteas with Vernon Philander outwitting Chetsehwar Pujara for just 6 runs. Just when Virat Kohli was stitching a small partnership with young Mayank, the skipper was caught and bowled of debutant Senuran Muthusamy.
In spite of the drama at the other end, young Mayank showed nerves of steel and slowly progressed to a well-earned double century. His dream run came to a halt when part-time bowler Dean Elgar finally scalped him on 215. India ended the second session with 450 runs on the board with the loss of 5 wickets.
India took charge in the final session with Ravindra Jadeja and Wriddhiman Saha playing cameos to stretch India past the 500-run mark. Captain Kohli declared after India added 300 runs to the overnight score. Destructive spin bowling from Indian spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja left South Africa hapless towards the end of the Day 2 as they ended with 39 runs for the loss of 3 wickets. As Bodog had predicted yesterday, Maharaj came out on top as the best South African bowler in the first innings.
What to expect from the pitch tomorrow?
The pitch did not change much in the opening session of the day, but once again it is proven that the new ball could do a lot of damage if used properly. However, the character of the pitch showed traits of wearing out from the post-lunch session where the spinners were awarded for their hard work.
Keshav Maharaj got the initial breakthrough with Rohit’s wicket and was able to exploit most of the unusual behaviour of the pitch. Six out of seven wickets were taken by the spinners which give us enough evidence of what the pitch will offer tomorrow. Having said that, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, who have been Bodog's favourite on Day 2, toyed with the South African openers in the last hour of play and Bodog are expecting the same from Indian spinners throughout Day 3.
What to look forward to tomorrow
The fate of the game is favouring India at the end of Day 2. With a massive first inning score, India will go for the kill from the opening hour of the Day. Virat Kohli may toss the ball to the fast bowlers in the opening hour on Friday when there is a possibility of movement in the air, but he will take resort to the spinners predominantly for the rest of the day.
As far as South Africa’s batting is concerned, they might struggle to keep up with the versatile bowling Indian bowling attack. Disciplined batting might see them bat through the whole day on Friday with the likes of Dean Elgar at the crease and Faf du Plessis to follow. But, looking at the past performance, Bodog have put India in complete control of the game thanks to their first-innings lead.
Weather forecast
Even though rain played spoilsport on the opening day of the Test match, the weather gods were merciful on Thursday and we got to see a full day’s play. We still have three days to go and inclement weather can hamper the fate of the match.
But, as per the forecast, the sky will remain clear for the most part of the day even though there is a mild chance of thunderstorms at 1 in the afternoon, which will clear away soon. We are expecting a full day’s play tomorrow with a maximum temperature of 31 degrees Celsius.
Key Batsman
Dean Elgar
The South African has shown contrasting form when he plays India in the longest format. He averages over 40 runs per innings in home conditions but dips to 20.14 when he plays away to India. But, the fact he is one of the most experienced players in the Proteas batting line-up, that we are expecting something special from him. Bodog has backed him to lead South Africa's revival in the first innings and has kept the southpaw ahead of their skipper Faf du Plessis.
Bodog Predictions
Even though Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock are yet to bat, Bodog has given opener Dean Elgar a slight edge as per their predictions for leading the scoring charts for South Africa on Day 3. From India’s point of view, Ravichandran Ashwin is the main bowler as seen so far with his consistent bowling at home and even on Day 2. It is justified that Bodog has kept him as the frontrunner for being the pick of the bowlers for India in the first innings.
Key Bowler
Ravichandran Ashwin
Advocating for Ravichandran Ashwin has been a regular phenomenon, but his record against South Africa is something to take note of. The off-spinner has a staggering tally of 31 wickets in the five matches he has played so far which includes four-wicket hauls at an average of 11.16. Bodog is expected him to be India’s most valuable bowler on the third day of the Test match. Ashwin has already picked up the wicket of Aiden Markram and Theunis de Bruyn with sheer brilliance towards the end of Day 2.
When to watch: October 4, 2019, 9.30 am
Where to watch: Hotstar and Star Network
Along with the live broadcast by Star, Bodog also offers you an insight about who controls the game at every moment of time with all the live updates.
Playing XIs
India
Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami
South Africa
Aiden Markram, Dean Elgar, Theunis de Bruyn, Temba Bavuma, Faf du Plessis (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Vernon Philander, Senuran Muthusamy, Keshav Maharaj, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada
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