• India bundled out South Africa for 197 in their first innings.

  • Mohammad Shami picked up a brilliant five-wicket haul.

Twitter reactions: Mohammad Shami’s 5-fer destroys South Africa as India surge lead on Day 3 of Centurion Test
Mohammad Shami shines with the ball on Day 3 of Boxing-Day Test (Image Source: Twitter)

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Indian bowling unit put up a dominant show on Day 3 of the ongoing Boxing-Day Test to skittle South Africa for 197 in their first innings at Supersport Park in Centurion. Pacer Mohammad Shami was the pick of the bowler for the visitors, picking up a memorable five-wicket haul.

It was the sixth five-for for Shami in Test cricket, and only the second occasion such feat came in the first innings. The previous being was 5/112 vs Australia at the SCG in Jan 2015. Shami ran through the South Africa top-order, getting the wickets of Keegan Petersen (15) and Aiden Markram (13) before returning to dismiss well-set Temba Bavuma.

Bavuma was the highest scorer for Proteas in their first innings. The right-handed batter scored 52 runs before getting caught behind off Shami. The Indian speedster then removed Wiaan Mulder (12) and Kagiso Rabada (25) to complete his 5-for. With that wicket, Shami also entered the 200 Test wicket club.

Quickest to reach 200 wickets among Indian pacers:

  • 50 – Kapil Dev
  • 54 – Javagal Srinath
  • 55 – Mohammed Shami
  • 63 – Zaheer Khan/Ishant Sharma

Fewest balls to 200 Test wickets for India:

  • 9896 – Mohammed Shami
  • 10248 – Ravichandran Ashwin
  • 11066 – Kapil Dev
  • 11989 – Ravindra Jadeja

Apart from Shami, Jasprit Bumrah (2/16) and Shardul Thakur (2/51) bagged two wickets each, while Mohammad Siraj (1/45) picked up one scalp.

At stumps, India reached 16/1, leading South Africa by 146 runs. The visiting side lost opener Mayank Agarwal early after the batter was caught behind off left-armer Marco Jansen.

Earlier, India, in the first session, lost seven wickets for just 55 runs to get bundled out for 327. At one stage, the tourists were 272/3, but after losing overnight batters KL Rahul (123) and Ajinkya Rahane (48), the Indian lower-order witnessed a collapse.

Proteas pacer Lungi Ngidi bowled outstandingly well and picked up a stunning six-wicket haul. Apart from Ngidi, pacer Kagiso Rabada bagged three scalps, while Jansen got one wicket.

Here is how Twitter reacted:

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AKSHAT GAUR
Akshat is the Sr. Content Strategist at CricketTimes.com. With a passion for storytelling and a keen eye for detail, Akshat has honed his skills over 6 years, working with various media outlets, publications, and organizations to deliver high-quality content that informs, educates, and entertains audiences. He is just another cricket fan who’s grown up watching the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. Cricket runs in his veins. Cover drive is his favorite sight, and a ball meeting the middle of the bat is his favorite sound. You can write to him at akshat.gaur@crickettimes.com and follow him on Twitter, Facebook & Linkedin.