Ken Borland

Prices will have to be paid for another Proteas’ batting failure as South Africa look to stay alive in the series when the second Test against India starts at the Wanderers on Monday, their batting line-up being further weakened by the absence of Quinton de Kock.

The wicketkeeper was always going to miss the New Years Test as well as the final match of the series due to the birth of his first child, but then rocked the Proteas camp even further by announcing his retirement from all Test cricket on Thursday evening, just hours after South Africa had lost the first Test by 113 runs.

Kyle Verreynne is the most likely replacement for De Kock, although Ryan Rickelton has the advantage of playing on his home ground and being in red-hot form with two centuries in his last two innings at the Wanderers.

There is a chance that both could play if the Proteas decide to go into the match with just four frontline bowlers, replacing Wiaan Mulder with a specialist batsman. The all-rounder has done a solid job with the ball, but he has made just 106 runs in eight innings this year. South Africa need more from their No.7.

Keshav Maharaj is indisputably South Africa’s No.1 spinner and one of the senior players, but he was unused in the Indian second innings at Centurion and went wicketless in 18 overs on the first day. If the Wanderers pitch is similar – and it has certainly given the pacemen plenty of assistance so far this summer – then the Proteas will be tempted to leave Maharaj out and play an all-seam attack with Duanne Olivier joining left-armer Marco Jansen, who took four wickets in the Indian second innings and also showed enough gumption with the bat to do well at No.8.

Captain Dean Elgar paid a massive compliment to Jansen after the first Test and he also supported the suggestion that Keegan Petersen, who has scored just 76 runs in his five Test innings but in all of them he has come to the crease with less than five runs on the board, drop down the order.

“We’ll definitely look into the all-rounder position,” Elgar said. “Wiaan has been pretty good with the ball but obviously has not lived up to the standards he has set himself with the bat.

“So we’ll be having the sort of open conversations we need to have in this environment. I thought Marco was our player of the game and had a brilliant debut. But carrying two all-rounders is maybe not ideal.

“It’s a valid point about Keegan dropping down the order and that’s also a conversation we’ll have. We could potentially exercise that option, it’s not a bad idea to give him better opportunity against the older ball.

“He’s played three Tests and they’ve all been in relatively tough batting conditions. It’s been a rough start to his career but it doesn’t reflect on him as a player. He is extremely talented, he’s been one of our best domestically for a few years,” Elgar said.

South Africa, chasing a record-breaking 305 to win on a deteriorating pitch, were no match for a ruthless Indian attack at SuperSport Park on Thursday as they were bowled out for 191 to succumb to a 113-run defeat in the first Test.

The Proteas began the final day on 94/4 and India claimed three wickets before lunch and then wrapped victory up with ridiculous ease after the break as the last three wickets fell in the first two overs.

Captain Dean Elgar, who batted for more than four hours in scoring his tenacious 77, was the key wicket to fall before lunch, India’s strike bowler Jasprit Bumrah switching to around the wicket and trapping the left-hander lbw.

Temba Bavuma batted with similar grittiness to his captain, finishing on 35 not out off 80 balls. Quinton de Kock (21) was the only other batsman to score more than 20, but he seemed to be chasing runs rather than trying to save the match and a third loose waft outside off stump saw him chop the ball into his own stumps off Mohammed Siraj.

Elgar admitted that his team had been chasing the game from the first day when poor bowling allowed India to rack up 272/3.

“If the opposition are only three down at the end of Day 1 here, then you’re always going to struggle,” Elgar said. “Them scoring more than 300 after winning the toss and batting first was a massive positive for them.

“But we were behind on runs throughout the four days. There were a lot of learnings for us, we need to get the basics of the game right and we did not have that from a batting point of view.

“It’s never easy against the new ball here, but the top-order know what it’s about. But if you get a good one then you go and watch the rest of the innings.

“They utilised the new ball to a T and their batsmen left very well, especially in the first hour of that first session. Our batsmen need to capitalise on starts,” Elgar said.

Jasprit Bumrah, with 3/50 in 19 overs and Mohammed Shami with 3/63 in 17, were the chief demolishers for India, although Siraj took 2/47 and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin claimed the last two wickets off successive balls to finish with 2/18.

“We had a lot of belief in our bowling unit to get the job done,” India captain Virat Kohli said. “Just the way these guys bowl together, it’s a hallmark of our team, getting a result from that position with a day washed out.

“Shami is an absolutely world-class bowler, among the top-three seam bowlers in the world for me. I’m very, very happy for him to get 200 Test wickets and have an extremely impactful performance,” Kohli added.

South Africa’s blundering batsmen were no match for India’s potent bowling attack on a boobytrap-laden SuperSport Park pitch as they were bowled out for 191 in their second innings on Thursday to lose the first Test at Centurion by 113 runs.

Only Dean Elgar, with 77 in more than four hours at the crease, and Temba Bavuma, who scored 35 not out off 80 balls, were able to keep abreast of the demands of batting on the final day, as South Africa were set 305 to win, which would have been a record chase at Centurion.

Despite the best efforts of Elgar and Bavuma, India were closing in on victory at lunch as they reduced South Africa to 182/7.

The end came ridiculously quickly after the break as Marco Jansen was caught behind for 13 in Mohammad Shami’s first over and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin then took the last two wickets with successive balls in the following over.

Kagiso Rabada boobed by playing an expansive drive without getting anywhere near the pitch of the ball and looping a catch to backward point, with Lungi Ngidi then turning his first ball straight to leg slip.

South Africa had resumed on the final morning on 94/4. Elgar, who had survived for more than three hours on the fourth afternoon, battled on for another 45 minutes on Thursday before the outstanding Jasprit Bumrah eventually got the better of the Proteas captain.

Having recently switched to around the wicket to the left-hander, Bumrah zipped a delivery back into the batsman, trapping him lbw for a tenacious 77, made in 243 minutes off 156 balls.

Bavuma and Elgar had added 36 for the fifth wicket and the vice-captain continued to show great composure through the entire morning session, going to lunch on 34 not out.

None of the other South African batsmen have put such hefty prices on their wickets, which is why the home side once again failed to reach 200, never mind 300.

Quinton de Kock scored a carefree 21 but was not playing the situation, which required really tight, disciplined batting, and his third loose waft outside off stump brought his downfall, edging Mohammed Siraj into his stumps.

Shami then returned to the attack and his second delivery was bang on the money, a fraction outside off stump and straightening, with extra bounce, and Wiaan Mulder could only get a thin edge to a fine ball, being caught behind for a single.

Bumrah was the best of the bowlers with 3/50 in 19 overs, while Siraj took 2/47 in 18 overs and Shami 3/63 in 17.

South Africa are chasing a record-breaking 305 to win the first Test against India at Centurion and, sadly for the home side, they are already four wickets down heading into the final day, with Kagiso Rabada honest enough to say the tourists’ attack are showing exactly why they are so highly-rated.

Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj are a trio of demolishers that are even more deadly on a SuperSport Park pitch that is offering prodigious movement and variable bounce with some deliveries standing up and others scuttling through low.

“India have quality bowlers. Shami and Bumrah are experienced now and Siraj has been bowling well recently too. It’s a good attack, full of pace and skill. They have showed why people say they are so good,” Rabada said after close of play on the fourth day on Wednesday.

Rabada also enjoyed bowling on the SuperSport Park pitch on Wednesday, taking 4/42 in 17 lively overs. Things went much better for South Africa with the ball in the second innings as they bowled India out for just 174, giving themselves an outside chance of winning the game.

“We tightened up our lines today, but the pitch was also a bit slow on Day 1 and then it has obviously quickened up. That made the movement quicker and gives the batsman less time to react, the ball shoots through more.

“But this game is definitely still winnable for us, we have to show belief. We will strategise and work out how to approach the final day overnight. But we have to believe, you need that.

“There has been some chat about when it will or won’t rain, but that’s an uncontrollable and we have to come out tomorrow thinking we will play a full day’s cricket,” Rabada said.

The leader of the Proteas attack also had some kind words for his co-paceman Marco Jansen, who also took four wickets in the Indian second innings to complete a satisfactory debut.

“Marco is a phenomenal talent as everyone has now seen. He’s tall so he gets bounce, but he also swings the ball. He’s got it all – pace, bounce and swing.

“He’s justified his selection and he’s a hard-worker who wants to learn and is really keen to do well for the team,” Rabada said.

But on the final day, South Africa’s hopes will rest with captain Dean Elgar, who has scrapped for more than three hours and is 52 not out.

“Dean has done this countless times, fighting when things are at their toughest. He knows the job is not over, but he’s doing his best for the country, the team and himself. He’s leading from the front,” Rabada said.