Play was stopped due to bad light just five overs into South Africa’s innings on Day 2 of the third Test at Ranchi. About 20 minutes later, umpires confirmed that there’d be no more play on the day. Zubayr Hamza (0*) and Faf du Plessis (1*) were at the crease, with the visitors at 9-2, trailing by 488 runs.
Pacers Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav struck early to reduce the visitors to 8-2 after India declared their first innings at 497-9.
Shami dismissed opener Dean Elgar for a duck on the second ball of the innings before Umesh Yadav removed de Kock in the next over for 4.
Earlier, opener Rohit Sharma smashed his maiden double century in Tests and Ajinkya Rahane scored his 11th Test ton as India put up another massive first innings total on the board.
India Declare at 497-9
Returning from Lunch at 357/4, Rohit Sharma added 13 runs before getting caught at the fine leg boundary by Lungi Ngidi off Kagiso Rabada.
After Rohit's departure, Ravindra Jadeja carried forward the momentum at number six, with a 51 off 119 balls. He stitched a 47-run stand with Saha before adding 33 runs with Ashwin (14).
Debutant George Linde, who picked up four wickets, cleaned up wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha for 24.
Pacer Umesh Yadav (9-ball 31) smashed Linde for five sixes before getting caught out by wicketkeeper Klaasen while trying to hit another big shot.
The second day's tea was also called when skipper Virat Kohli called Shahbaz Nadeem (1*) and Mohd Shami (10*) back to the dressing room.
Rohit Sharma Scores Maiden Double Ton in Tests
Continuing his spectacular run in his debut series as Test opener, Rohit Sharma became only the fourth batsman to score double centuries in Tests and ODIs before departing for 212 from 255 balls with the help of 28 fours and six sixes.
Coming out to bat with an overnight score of 117, Rohit got to 150 in 199 balls and raced to the 190s from there in quick time. He hit Andrich Nortje for back-to-back boundaries in the penultimate before lunch to race to 196, and in the last over before the break survived few edges off Kagiso Rabada to move to 199 from 242 balls.
Just after the break, India's limited overs vice-captain tonked Lungi Ngidi for a six to get to his maiden double century in Tests in style.
Rahane Scores Century, Dismissed in Morning Session
In the first session of the day, George Linde had got South Africa their big breakthrough, removing Ajinkya Rahane for 115 (192 balls) to claim his maiden Test wicket after India started the day at 224-3.
After scoring his 11th Test century, Rahane was out caught by Heinrich Klaasen, who claimed his maiden Test dismissal. That also brought an end to his 267-run stand with opener Rohit Sharma, who was then joined at the crease by Jadeja.
Earlier, Rohit brought up his third 150-plus score in the format. Rahane had scored his 11th Test off 169 deliveries after the duo reached the 200-run mark in their fourth wicket partnership.
Rohit and Rahane had helped India reach 224-3 at stumps after bad light and rain forced an early end. Rohit had notched up his sixth Test hundred after Kagiso Rabada dismissed both Mayank Agarwal (10) and Cheteshwar Pujara (0). Anrich Nortje had trapped Virat Kohli (12) leg before wicket for his first Test wicket.
India took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series after winning the first two Tests in Visakhapatnam and Pune.
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