Lungi Ngidi grabs six as India collapse to 327, South Africa 21/1
Centurion(PTI): Lungi Ngidi bowled a fiery morning spell to run through the Indian middle-order as South Africa restricted the visitors to 327 on day three of the first Test.
On a pitch spruced up by second day's persistent rainfall, Lungi made full use of the underlying moisture to finish with figures of 6 for 71 in 24 overs as India lost 7 wickets for 55 runs starting from an overnight score of 272 for 3.
Ngidi did get a lot of support from Kagiso Rabada, whose 3 for 72 also had centurion KL Rahul (123)'s wicket.
However India did strike back before the lunch with Jasprit Bumrah's unplayable away swinger found opposition skipper Dean Elgar's (1) outside edge. South Africa went into the break with scoreboard reading 21 for one.
Aiden Markram (9 batting) and Keegan Petersen (11 batting) were at the crease.
The morning belonged to Ngidi and Rabada as the Supersport Park track stayed true to its reputation of quickening up as time progressed.
The bounce was more and the length that Rabada and Nigidi bowled consistently was a touch fuller compared to first day.
Unlike the opening day, the two overnight batters Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane (48) didn't get anything short or wide to get going first up. It was Rabada, who drew the first blood on the day with a well directed short ball aimed at Rahul's rib-cage.
The batter simply couldn't manage the pull-shot and the tickle landed in Quinton de Kock's gloves.
In case of Rahane, Ngidi hadn't provided enough length for the drive and the ball reared up from length to take his edge and into keeper's gloves.
Ravichandran Ashwin's batting in SENA countries has gone downhill and the leading edge that lobbed up to Keshav Maharaj was a result of not being able to negotiate extra bounce generated by Ngidi.
Rishabh Pant (8)'s dismissal was a carbon copy of Cheteshwar Pujara's where an angular delivery climbed up and it was an easy bat-pad catch for forward short leg.
Bumrah (14) did hit a few boundaries to take the score past 325 which was at least 75 runs short of what India had envisaged at the start.
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Congress has no future: BJP on Chidambaram's remark on INDIA alliance
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Friday took a swipe at the Congress over its leader P Chidambaram's remark on the opposition INDIA alliance, saying even Rahul Gandhi's "close aide" know that the party has no future.
Chidambaram had on Thursday voiced concerns over the INDIA bloc, saying he was not sure if the opposition alliance was still intact.
Latching on to Chidambaram's remarks, BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said in a post on X, "Congress Leader P Chidambaram predicts: 'Opposition will not be intact in future, BJP is a formidable organisation'."
"Even Rahul Gandhi's close aides know Congress has no future," he added.
Speaking at the launch of Salman Khurshid and Mritunjay Singh Yadav's book "Contesting Democratic Deficit", Chidambaram said, "The future (of INDIA bloc) is not so bright, as Mritunjay Singh Yadav said. He seems to feel that the alliance is still intact, but I am not sure".
"It is only Salman (Khurshid) who can answer because he was part of the negotiating team for the INDIA bloc. If the alliance is totally intact, I will be very happy. But it shows at the seams that it is frayed," the Rajya Sabha MP said.
He also hoped that the alliance can "still be put together, there's still time".
The former Union finance minister warned that the INDIA bloc was fighting against a "formidable machinery", which must be fought on all fronts.
The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) of opposition parties came together ahead of the last Lok Sabha elections to counter the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance at the Centre.
