Ken Borland

Keegan Petersen had the ball whizzing past his ears and edges of his bat enough times on Tuesday to know just how tough it is going to be for the South African batsmen to take on the Indian attack in the second innings of the second Test at the Wanderers, which means a quick end to the tourists’ innings on Wednesday will be crucial.

Petersen top-scored for the Proteas with a determined but positive 62 in their innings of 229 which gave them just a 27-run lead. India had reached 85/2 at stumps to go into the third day 58 runs ahead.

“It’s a tough pitch and batting is definitely not going to get easier. And we’re up against a top-quality attack that keeps you on your toes,” Petersen said after his maiden Test half-century in his sixth innings.

“It’s a pitch which you’re never really in on and the session this morning was the toughest. The Indian seamers came out guns blazing and it was a very challenging two hours.

“They were spot-on with both their execution and their strategies, and the pitch is a bit tricky too. We haven’t yet put a number to what we’d like to chase, but anything under 200 I think we can get.

“But it’s a difficult bowling attack to come up against and we’ll have to get stuck in again. I’m not sure what the right way to bat is, the attacking option worked out for a couple of guys,” Petersen said.

The 28-year-old from Paarl has been deposited in the deep end at No.3 in his brief Test career which began in the West Indies last June and he once again came to the crease at the Wanderers inside the first five overs, as he has done in all of his Proteas innings thus far.

While there has been talk of him dropping down the order so a more experienced batsman can come in first drop, Petersen brushed that off on Tuesday by saying he will bat “wherever”.

Clearly a mentally tough individual, he was more upset that he did not go on to a bigger score, having done so much hard work in spending nearly three hours at the crease.

“I’m happy but I wish I had done more,” Petersen said. “I wish I had kicked on and that is the one department we need to improve on as a batting unit.

“You can’t be overly aggressive, but you just try and pounce on the bad ball when it comes. But there weren’t many of those.

“I’m completely confident that I will get to the milestone of a Test century, I thought today was going to be the day. It was not to be, but we will get there,” said the KZN Dolphins batsman whose solid technique and impressive strokeplaying ability was laid down in his childhood years by father Dirkie, his only real coach growing up.

Shardul Thakur ripped through the South African first innings with record figures before India withstood a fiery burst from the Proteas pacemen to reach 85/2 at stumps on the second day of the second Test at the Wanderers on Tuesday.

Thakur, India’s fourth seamer but fulfilling a key role as Mohammed Siraj was limited to just six overs on Tuesday due to a hamstring strain, claimed wonderful figures of 7/61 in 17.5 overs as the Proteas were bowled out for 229. They are the best ever figures for an Indian bowler against South Africa, beating the 7/66 off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took at Nagpur in 2015/16.

Leading by 27 runs on first innings, Marco Jansen and Duanne Olivier then each took a wicket before Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane added 41 as India finished the second day 58 runs ahead with eight wickets in hand.

Resuming on 35/1, Dean Elgar and Keegan Petersen withstood a frustrating pitch for batsmen given the variable bounce and excessive movement off the surface, adding 74 for the second wicket to take the Proteas to 88/1. India, missing a bowler, were starting to feel the pressure as the morning burst from Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah had been weathered.

But Thakur, a bustling bowler of brisk pace, then roared through the top-order, taking three wickets in 16 deliveries, without conceding a run. Elgar was caught behind for a 170-minute 28 and Petersen scored a determined but positive 62, his maiden Test half-century in his sixth innings, before driving loosely and edging a catch to second slip.

Thakur’s third wicket was that of Rassie van der Dussen (1), who was given out caught behind on what became the last ball before lunch, having inside-edged a delivery that jagged back into him, and bounced more than expected, on to his back leg, from where it went to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.

But the South African camp were angered by the umpires not checking whether the catch was legitimate, replays showing the ball had bounced in front of Pant’s gloves. It was the second time in the morning session that he had claimed a catch on the bounce.

From 102/4 at lunch, Temba Bavuma and Kyle Verreynne added 60 for the fifth wicket. But Thakur’s return half-an-hour before tea saw South Africa suffer two further setbacks as he trapped a leaden-footed Verreynne lbw for a useful 21 and then had Bavuma caught behind for 51, glancing a lifter down the leg-side and Pant taking a fine diving catch. It was Bavuma’s 17^th Test half-century and he once again showed his grittiness and ability to make tough runs.

Jansen and Keshav Maharaj also made 21s to ensure India began their second innings marginally behind. They lost their openers inside the first dozen overs, Lokesh Rahul (8) being well-caught inches off the turf by Aiden Markram at second slip off left-armer Jansen, and Mayank Agarwal (23) shouldering arms to Olivier and being trapped lbw.

But the positive Pujara, who has hit seven fours off 42 balls, repelled an aggressive South African attack to shift the momentum again before stumps.

South Africa’s four-pronged fast bowling attack snuffed out India’s batsmen in two-and-a-half sessions on the first day of the second Test at the Wanderers on Monday, but then the Proteas own top-order weaknesses were put through a strenuous examination by the tourists’ powerful pace trio.

India, having won the toss and batted, were bowled out for 202 as Marco Jansen took 4/31 and Kagiso Rabada and Duanne Olivier claimed the other six wickets.

South Africa then reached 35/1 at stumps, with Aiden Markram failing again as he was trapped lbw by Mohammed Shami for seven. It meant Keegan Petersen (14*) again came to the crease inside the first five overs, but he did well to survive to the close with captain Dean Elgar (11*).

The Proteas again made a slow start with the new ball as India openers Lokesh Rahul and Mayank Agarwal put on 36 in the first hour. It was Lungi Ngidi who created the first feelings of pressure with two maidens in his first four overs and Jansen reaped the benefits as he had Agarwal caught behind for 26 with the first ball after morning drinks.

Olivier produced a fiery second spell that saw him remove Cheteshwar Pujara (3) and Ajinkya Rahane (0) with successive deliveries as India stumbled to lunch on 53/3.

Opener Rahul, captaining India for the first time in the absence of Virat Kohli, who withdrew just before the toss due to back problems, seems to have batted for weeks in this series already, and, following his crucial century in the first Test, he occupied the crease for three-and-a-half hours on Monday, scoring 50 before he was athletically caught by Rabada at the fine leg boundary off Jansen.

Rassie van der Dussen also took a spectacular one-handed catch at short-leg to remove Hanuma Vihari for 20 off Rabada.

A fiery 46 off 50 balls by Ravichandran Ashwin lifted India to respectability, but the rest of the Proteas pacemen were just too hot for the batsmen.

Markram seems to have lost his old technical assurance against the new ball as he planted the front leg and tried to play what was basically a straight ball from Shami far too square on the leg-side.

But Elgar was playing with his usual defiant composure and sensible shot-selection as he withstood 57 deliveries, and Petersen also looked focused for 39 balls, except when he slashed at Jasprit Bumrah when he had 12 and was fortunate to be dropped by wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, high to his right.

India suffered a blow when Mohammed Siraj hobbled from the field in the penultimate over, clutching his hamstring.

The frustrating injury to ace fast bowler Anrich Nortje has led to left-arm quick Marco Jansen getting his first call-up to the Proteas ODI squad, but whatever starting XI South Africa choose against India, there are bound to be some disgruntled bowlers.

South Africa and India meet in three ODIs from January 19, following the end of the Test series. With two of the matches being played in Paarl and one at Newlands, conditions should suit the Proteas’ new-found enthusiasm for a strong spin-bowling contingent, with both Tabraiz Shamsi, their leading ODI wicket-taker in 2021, and Keshav Maharaj, the vice-captain, playing.

But India’s batsmen relish taking on spin bowling and there may be a desire to target them with pace. In which case, who do you leave out: Maharaj or Shamsi?

There are also three out-and-out all-rounders in the squad in Andile Phehlukwayo, who bashed a superb 48 not out off just 22 balls against the Netherlands in his last match, T20 World Cup star Dwaine Pretorius and the resurgent Wayne Parnell. But unless one of them bats in the top six, or plays as a frontline quick instead of Lungi Ngidi, there is unlikely to be room for more than one of them at a time.

South Africa’s top six is pretty settled though, with Janneman Malan establishing himself as Quinton de Kock’s opening partner, Aiden Markram slotting into the middle-order alongside Temba Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen, and David Miller continuing as an evergreen finisher.

India announced their squad on December 31 and even though they are without injured players Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, and Mohammed Shami will be rested, it is going to be an exacting task for the Proteas.

As ever, much focus will be on their batsmen and Kyle Verreynne and Zubayr Hamza are waiting in the wings. Hamza seems to have leapfrogged Reeza Hendricks in the pecking order, the national selectors demanding more than an average of 25.68 and a strike-rate of 76.76 in 24 ODIs.

Other players who are out in the cold at present are left-arm seamer Beuran Hendricks, spinner George Linde and Test all-rounder Wiaan Mulder.

Of the second-string squad that was selected for the ill-fated ODI series against the Netherlands at the end of November, fast bowlers Daryn Dupavillon and Junior Dala, and batsmen Ryan Rickelton and Khaya Zondo have also been omitted. Paceman Lizaad Williams is still out injured.

Proteas squad: Quinton de Kock, Kyle Verreynne, Janneman Malan, Temba Bavuma, Aiden Markram, Zubayr Hamza, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Wayne Parnell, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lungi Ngidi, Sisanda Magala, Marco Jansen.