Highlight
Lungi Ngidi threw out Pujara for a golden duck.
After a century’s stand, Mayank Agarwal was the first Indian wicket to fall.
KL Rahul and Virat Kohli led India to tea at 157/2 on the first day of the tour.
Pressure on India opener Cheteshwar Pujara has been mounting as he’s not been making big contributions with the bat lately, so he’s been unable to score an unbeaten century in Test cricket since January.
Lungi Ngidi dismissed Cheteshwar Pujara for a first-ball duck on the first day of the first Test against South Africa in Centurion, which was the worst possible start. After Mayank Agarwal’s (60) dismissal, Pujara was able to build on the excellent start that he and opener KL Rahul had made with the bat. However, India’s third-place finisher was unable to get off the ground..
After pitching a delivery outside the off-stump line, Ngidi got the inside edge of Pujara’s bat, hit his thigh guard, and lobbed up in the air. Keegan Petersen, positioned at forwarding short leg, made an easy catch and ended Pujara’s time in the middle.
A lack of big contributions with the bat has been mounting on Pujara as he hasn’t scored a century in Test cricket since January 2019. Pujara has been known for his patience and consistency over the years, but this hasn’t translated into runs, and this has been a major concern for the Indian team management.
Pujara’s place in the XI, like that of Ajinkya Rahane, will be questioned soon enough by Virat Kohli, who has shown faith in him for the time being.
Many Indian cricket fans took to Twitter to voice their disappointment at the removal of Gautam Gambhir. Some of the reaction to Pujara’s firing has been documented here.
A golden duck for Pujara was the 11th time he has been bowled out in Test cricket, the second time in three innings, and the 11th time in Test cricket overall.
