South Africa’s batsman Temba Bavuma, front, reacts after being dismissed India’s bowler Shardul Thakur, during the second day of the 2nd Test Cricket match between South Africa and India at the Wanderers stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
The second ball of the second day of the Wanderers Test from Mohammed Shami leaped at Dean Elgar, who fended it safely to point. The last ball of the day from Keshav Maharaj spun and bounced at Cheteshwar Pujara, who edged it softly past slip for his seventh four and took India’s lead to 58 with eight wickets standing.
What ensued in between those two deliveries was not only utterly absorbing cricket, but also the build-up of several narratives that are hurtling towards one grand denouement at the Bullring. The headline story of the day was, of course, how Shardul Thakur transformed his golden arm into a goldmine extracting one precious wicket after another. Before Thakur ripped through the South African batting line-up, the morning had been about the craft and threat of Shami and Jasprit Bumrah pitted against the grit of Elgar and the elegant promise of Keegan Petersen. (READ FULL STORY)
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