India's Test skipper Virat Kohli was unable to participate in the second match in the ongoing Test series against South Africa due to an injury. KL Rahul-led team India lost that match by 7 wickets and South Africa leveled the series. As a result, the third Test match in Cape Town is now a do-or-die contest for both teams. Virat Kohli has returned to lead India in this crucial match, but they only managed to score 223 in their first innings. The first-day match report of the third Test between South Africa and India is discussed in this article. SA vs IND 3rd Test 2022: First Day Match Report  India decided to bat first in the hopes of amassing a strong first-inning total. The Indian batters did not impress with the bat, as they were all out for only 223 runs after the tea interval. Captain Virat Kohli fought hard in the middle and batted well. However, the elegant right-hand batter squandered another chance to make his 71st international century. India’s First Innings   India's innings got off to a shaky start, with KL Rahul (12) and Mayank Agarwal (15) falling within just 13 overs. India had a score of 75/2 at lunchtime. Cheteshwar Pujara (43) and skipper Virat Kohli attempted to rebuild the innings with a 62-run third-wicket partnership. However, Pujara lost his wicket to Marco Jansen inside an hour of the post-lunch session. Kagiso Rabada then sent Ajinkya Rahane back to the pavilion after only a few overs. Read: Five Shining Stars of Bangladesh in NZ vs BAN Test Series 2022 The right-arm fast-medium bowler Kagiso Rabada was outstanding with his line and lengths in the first innings. In fact, the battle between Rabada and Virat was one of the day's main highlights. Virat had a lot of trouble with Rabada's fiery deliveries. The charismatic Indian Captain had attacked him in an attempt to disrupt his rhythm. The South African pacer eventually won the battle by dismissing Virat Kohli after the tea break. Virat Kohli batted patiently but fell short of scoring his 28th Test century. He made 77 off 201 balls. Rishab Pant and Shardul Thakur provided solid support in the middle for Virat Kohli as the Indian innings progressed. India were bowled out for a low total after 77.3 overs in the first innings. South Africa's most successful bowler was Kagiso Rabada, who got four wickets, and Marco Jansen took three wickets. The ongoing first innings of South Africa South Africa responded by scoring 17 runs for the loss of Dean Elgar at the end of day one. Medium-pacer Jasprit Bumrah dismissed the left-hander with a brilliant in-swinging ball. Bumrah was outstanding in the closing hour of day one, bowling four overs without conceding a run. He will be a key player for India on day 2. Aiden Markram (8*) and Keshav Maharaj (6*) have stayed unbeaten at the crease. Read: Indian police probe rape threats to Virat Kohli's daughter South Africa will almost certainly try for a strong first-innings lead, which will be difficult to achieve at Newlands in Cape Town. Bottom Line            South Africa have a huge opportunity of taking control of the third Test if they bat well on day 2. South African batters must be determined to score 400 runs in order to take a healthy lead in the first innings. On the other side, India have to keep South Africa to under 250 runs to stay firm in the game. The current Indian Test bowling lineup is one of the best in the world, and they can surely disrupt the Proteas batting lineup's rhythm. Overall, the two teams will face off in a gripping battle on the second day of the contest. Read: Virat Kohli to step down as India's T20 skipper

India’s regular Test captain Virat Kohli is not taking part in the second match of the ongoing Test series against the host South Africa. KL Rahul is leading India in this Test against the Proteas at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg in place of Virat Kohli. As per the acting Indian captain, Virat has an upper back spasm but he will be available for the final Test match of the series. Meanwhile, India have had a poor start to the second Test after being asked to bat first. Let's look at the match scenario at the end of the first day of South Africa vs India 2nd Test 2022. SA vs IND 2nd Test 2022: Match Scenario   Opener KL Rahul became India's 34th Test captain in this match. So, this is an important milestone in his cricket career. Rahul chose to bat first in the hope of putting up a big first-inning total. However, the Indian batters failed to shine with the bat, as they were all out for only 202 runs just after the Tea break.  Read NZ-BAN First Test draw can give Bangladesh the pleasure of victory India Struggle in the First Innings    KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal got India off to a good start. They made 36 runs stand between them in the first hour of day one's first session. However, Marco Jansen and Duanne Olivier put the Indian top order under pressure by taking three key wickets in the second hour of the opening session. India were down to 53/3 at lunch, but Rahul stayed at the crease.  India had performed well and kept the scoreboard moving in the first hour of the post-lunch session. However, India lost its momentum once more in the second hour of the session. Two more wickets were lost, including leading scorer KL Rahul (50). India scored 146/5 in the second session. The South African dressing room was optimistic that they could wrap up the Indian innings under 200 runs as they had failed to cope with the Proteas pacers. Read NZ vs BAN 1st Test 2021: Bangladesh Sustains Hope Till the End of Day 2 Marco Jansen struck again for the hosts in the third session, taking wicket-keeper Rishab Pant in the third over. In fact, South Africa bowled India out within the first hour of the post-Tea session. Left-arm pacer Marco Jansen was the most successful bowler for South Africa in this innings. He took four wickets for 31 runs in his 17 overs spell. In addition, Kagiso Rabada and Duanne Oliver each took three wickets. South Africa’s ongoing first innings In response, South Africa scored 35 runs on day 1 for the loss of Aiden Markram. Medium-pacer Mohammad Shami removed the right-hander through Ibw. Captain Dean Elgar (11*) and Keegan Petersen (14*) have remained undefeated at the crease. Read BPL 2022: Five Promising Young Players to Watch South Africa will surely aim for a lead of over 100 runs, which will be a real challenge at the Wanderers cricket ground.   Verdict South Africa may seize control of the second Test if they bat all day on day two. South African batters must perform well in order to achieve that, and they should be wary of an inspiring Indian bowling unit. On the other hand, India must come out with a lot of aggression in order to gain early wickets on the second day. The match would be evenly matched if South Africa failed to take a big lead in the first innings. Therefore, the second Test between South Africa and India will be quite exciting to watch on day two.  Read ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2022: SWOT Analysis of Bangladesh Team  

The visiting team India is in a stronger position than the host South Africa In the first of a three-match Test series. India will need to take another six wickets in order to win the first match. Oppositely, South Africa need 211 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the series. Given the present situation, day 5 looks to be a nail-biter. However, India have a better chance than their counterpart since the last day's pitch is more likely to favor bowlers than batters. Let's have a look at the scenario for the first Test match between South Africa and India.     SA vs IND 1st Test 2021: Match Scenario    India have never won a Test series against the Proteas national team in South Africa. In reality, India have only won 3 of its 20 Test matches in South Africa. In addition, India had to wait 14 years and four series to win a Test match against South Africa away from home. However, the current Indian Test setup, in which the Virat Kohli-led team has won at least one away Test series against almost every Test nation, makes them a clear favorite against a revamped South African team. Therefore, the current series might be historic for India, and they are on track to win the first Test if the bowling unit performs well on day 5.  Read Australia Clinch Ashes with a Thumping win Over England in Third Test South Africa scored 94/4 (40.5) at the end of day 4 while chasing 305 runs. The South African captain, Dean Elgar has batted with caution. He is unbeaten on 52* in 122 balls and has shown a lot of confidence in his technique against an impressive Indian bowling attack. Elgar would have to bat deep if South Africa wanted to seal the match against India.       India Crumble in the Second Innings    The Indian campaign seemed optimistic after achieving a 130-run lead in the first innings. It appeared India had a strategy to set a 400-run target for South Africa when they came to play in their second innings. However, South African bowlers Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, and Marco Jansen all came out with a better strategy in the second innings. They put Indian batters under strain with brilliant accuracy and took wickets at regular intervals. Virat Kohli failed to live up to expectations once again, he was dismissed for only 18 runs. Meanwhile, first innings centurion KL Rahul made 23 runs.  Read BPL 2022: SWOT Analysis of all Six Teams When India were down to 111/6, they changed their approach and began attacking the Proteas bowlers for quick runs. India's best scorer was Rishab Pant in the second innings, who made 34 off 34 balls. Oppositely, South Africa's Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen each got four wickets, while Lungi Ngidi grabbed two.     Verdict    Indian team, without a doubt, is in the front, but the South African side has a decent chance of winning. The Centurion pitch will be even more difficult to bat on day 5 as the cracks open up. So, surviving on the last day would be a huge test for the remainder of the Proteas batters. Opener Dean Elgar will have to shoulder most of the pressure if South Africa want to win the series opener. However, one thing is certain: there will be a result at the end of the match if rain does not intervene on the fifth day.    Read NZ vs BAN Test Series 2022: Five Bangladesh Players to keep an eye on

The three-match Test series between host South Africa and visitors India started on Boxing Day at Centurion's SuperSport Park. This is South Africa's first ICC Test Championship series in the second cycle (2021-2023). India, on the other hand, is in the third series in the tournament's second edition. After electing to bat first, India finished day one with a total of 272/3. KL Rahul's brilliant century has taken India to a good total in the first innings. Take a look at the highlights from the opening day of the first Test between South Africa and India. SA vs IND 1st Test 2021: First Day Highlights Centurion is known for producing sporting pitches over the years.   As per the statistics, team bat first has won 11 matches, team bat second has won 12, and just three matches have ended in a draw. By these stats, the team that can outperform the opposition in every department has a better chance of succeeding on this ground. Given South Africa's current batting prowess, India captain Virat Kohli felt that putting up a high total in the first innings would be the best tactic against the Proteas in a Test match. The openers answered well, putting together a 117-run partnership. Read England stages 2nd-day Ashes revival at MCG amid virus scare  First Session Both KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal were keen on being firm at the crease in order to bat for extended periods of time. They were wary about two of the best fast bowlers in the world right now and didn’t make unnecessary efforts to increase the run rates. Both batsmen were able to deal with a powerful South African bowling unit by using better techniques. India were 83/0 in 28 overs at lunch, with Mayank Agarwal scoring the most runs of the two batters. Second Session After the post-lunch session, South Africa had to wait more than an hour for the much-needed first breakthrough. South African players asked for Ibw after Lungi Ngidi's rising up delivery hit Mayank Agarwal's front pad. The on-field umpire was unsatisfied. The Proteas captain Dean Elgar took the review and reply showed that the ball would hit the leg stump. Mayank Agarwal returned to the pavilion after a well-made 60-run knock. New batter Pujara just faced one ball in the first inning because Ngidi hit again with an excellent length delivery in the next ball.  South African bowlers made some adjustments in the second session. They aimed outside the off-stump channel in the first session, but they delivered as many balls as possible in the good length area in the second session. This strategy worked out perfectly for the host. Read Guide to the Ashes, Test cricket’s biggest stage Third Session  India was under some strain after losing two wickets in a row. The pressure from the South African bowlers was soaked up by an 82-run partnership between Captain Virat Kohli and KL Rahul. Ngidi struck again with an outside off delivery to Virat Kohli in the next session, who was batting at 35. Kohli went out to play Ngidi's outside off delivery, but a thick edge only found Mulder at first slip. Virat Kohli has gone another innings without scoring a century. He hasn't struck an international century since the Pink-ball Test against Bangladesh in 2019. The South African campaign aimed to put extra pressure on India's batting line-up, but an unbroken 73*-run partnership between KL Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane rescued the day. With 40*, Rahane has stayed unbeaten, while KL Rahul has struck an unbeaten 122*, his seventh Test century. Rahul has played a classical knock which will boost his confidence to perform even better in Test cricket. Only Lungi Ngidi has been a successful bowler for South Africa, having taken all three Indian wickets so far. Read 3rd Ashes test: Boland test debut, England makes 4 changes Verdict   India have made a strong start in the series-opening Test match against South Africa with a strong batting showing from the openers. KL Rahul is renowned for being a perfect batsman in limited-over formats, but his recent efforts in the longer-version format have shown that the right-hander is also capable of unleashing his full potential in Test cricket. Indian campaign is concerned over Virat Kohli's longest century drought. Virat must overcome his psychological barrier in order to achieve the three-figure mark on the international stage. The second day of the South Africa-India 1st Test will be crucial for both teams, with India aiming for a huge first-innings total and South Africa aiming to keep India under 400.