South Africa increase lead over India to 147 runs

Pretoria: Opener Dean Elgar continued his heroics on the third day of the first test against India before being dismissed for 185 as South African increased their first innings lead to 147 runs at lunch at Centurion on Thursday.

Elgar, who will retire from international cricket after the two-test series, was 140 not out overnight and added more valuable runs to the score as South Africa reached 392-7 at the interval after bowling India out for 245 in their first innings.

Elgar was out as he gloved a ball down leg side from Shardul Thakur, scoring 28 fours in an uncharacteristically flowing innings that contrasted with his usual dogged approach.

The 36-year-old Elgar and Marco Jansen put on 111 runs for the sixth wicket, starting the day with positive intent and then fending off some intimidating bowling when India took the second new ball.

The lanky Jansen added 69 runs to his overnight tally of three to be unbeaten on 72 at lunch, along with Kagiso Rabada, who was one not out.

Gerald Coetzee came in after Elgar and added salt into Indian wounds with a quickfire 19 off 18 balls before holing out to mid-on off Ravichandran Ashwin's spin.

Elgar had led from the front, also thrust into the acting captain role after Temba Bavuma pulled up with a hamstring injury on the first day. Bavuma has dropped down the batting order because of the injury and the South African camp have kept a stony silence on whether he is able to bat later if needed.

India were disappointing with their bowling effort on a bright day where the sun was drying the wicket and making it even more bowler friendly. They would have been hoping to break the Elgar-Jansen partnership early and get in among the lower order batsmen but looked laboured out in the field.

They are looking to claim a first-ever series victory in a country where they have come close before but failed to go home with series success.

South Africa have been victors in seven of India’s eight visits since the first in 1992 with one series drawn in 2010/11, but six of those successes have been by a single win margin.

The second and last test in this series is at Newlands in Cape Town from Jan. 3-7.