It was a captivating opening day at the Wanderers Stadium, ending with South Africa at 35/1. India had previously been dismissed for 202, showing that the Proteas' bowlers had bounced back well after their first-test defeat. India's preparations were hampered early on when Virat Kohli was sidelined by an upper back spasm. In his absence, KL Rahul took the captaincy and emerged as the standout player with the bat.
An enthralling day of Test cricket at the Wanderers Stadium. South Africa finished 35/1 at Stumps on Day 1. Earlier, India was bowled out for 202. Good comeback from the Proteas bowlers after being beaten in the first test. India suffered a huge setback before the toss as Virat Kohli was ruled out due to a spasm on his upper back. KL Rahul, who led team India in Johannesburg, was the only stand-out performer with the bat.
India chose to bat first, and the opening pair of Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul looked strong initially. That stability vanished when Marco Jansen dismissed Agarwal for 26, triggering a batting collapse. Shortly after, Duanne Olivier struck, removing Cheteshwar Pujara for 3 with a precise short delivery and immediately following it up by dismissing Ajinkya Rahane for a golden duck.
A 42-run stand between KL Rahul and Hanuma Vihari offered some relief to the Indian side, but the recovery was cut short when Kagiso Rabada took Vihari's wicket for 20. Rahul continued to play well, reaching 50, but Marco Jansen soon ended his innings. The lower order showed some fight, as Rishabh Pant and Ravichandran Ashwin played with intent to add 40 runs for the sixth wicket.
Ashwin contributed 46 runs, including four boundaries, before he was out. The bowling honors went to Jansen, who took four wickets, while Rabada and Olivier claimed three each. South Africa's reply started poorly when Aiden Markram fell for 7, trapped LBW by a clinical Mohammed Shami. Captain Dean Elgar and Keegan Petersen managed to put together a modest 21-run partnership to end the day. The focus now shifts to whether the Indian bowlers can break through tomorrow.