CAPE TOWN: For 84.1 overs, the teams ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the world went at each other like bareknuckle prizefighters. At the end of it, South Africa — who had stumbled to 12 for three inside the first five overs — were undoubtedly the happier side, riding on half-centuries from AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis, once classmates at Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool in Pretoria, to get to 286, and then reducing India to 28 for three by stumps. Morne Morkel claimed the biggest scalp with his very first delivery, getting Virat Kohli to fend one behind.
“Luckily our phones get taken away, otherwise I would have been looking for an Uber to get back to the hotel,” joked Dale Benkenstein, South Africa’s batting coach, as he spoke of the nightmare start. “They are a quality bowling attack and at that stage (12 for three), I was sitting there wondering how we were going to score a run. The genius of AB de Villiers and the tenacity of the captain (Du Plessis). That partnership got us back in the game and got that belief back in the changing room. I think it was just one over (from Bhuvneshwar) where AB just changed the game (with four boundaries). He made the bowlers have to worry about their lengths.”
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who had played only five of 16 home Tests over the past two seasons, was India’s bowling hero, finishing with four for 87, including the first three wickets. Dean Elgar nibbled at a ball outside his off stump, Aidan Markram was beaten by inswing, and Hashim Amla slashed at one to leave South Africa in disarray after they had chosen to bat, despite selecting four fast bowlers to accompany the lone spinner.
But instead of steady consolidation, De Villiers and Du Plessis counterattacked, thrillingly in the case of De Villiers. He struck 11 fours in an 84-ball 65, and added 114 with Du Plessis before Jasprit Bumrah, a surprise debutant, sneaked one through his bat and pad.
Du Plessis fell soon after for 62, flailing loosely at a Hardik Pandya delivery well outside his off stump. Pandya wheeled away past gully to celebrate, while Kohli was spoken to by the umpires for whispering sweet nothings to the departing batsmen. Indian temperatures had risen moments earlier when a LBW shout was turned down, and their review was unsuccessful on the basis of umpire’s call.
Quinton de Kock played a sublime 40-ball cameo for 43 before edging Bhuvneshwar to Wriddhiman Saha, and South Africa would have been in even greater strife if Shikhar Dhawan, at third slip, hadn’t dropped Keshav Maharaj before he had scored. Maharaj went on to make 35, and the last three wickets added 65 as India’s bowlers overdid the short stuff.
In reply, Murali Vijay edged to gully, and Dhawan top-edged an injudicious pull off the returning Dale Steyn. But it was Kohli’s wicket that left South Africa with the feeling that the match was now firmly in their control.
“That’s how Test cricket is,” said a subdued Bhuvneshwar.
“We started really well and lost our way in between. We could have bowled a little better, but we gave away 25 to 30 runs extra. AB is best in the world. His counter-attack hurt us. It’s going to be tough. We knew this is a kind of situation we’d have to tackle.”
India’s progress checked on first day of South Africa Test in Cape Town
India’s progress checked on first day of South Africa Test in Cape Town
Mbappe double at Villarreal takes Real Madrid top of La Liga
VILA-REAL, Spain Kylian Mbappe netted twice to earn Real Madrid a 2-0 win at Villarreal on Saturday and take his side to the top of La Liga.
Alvaro Arbeloa’s team moved two points clear of arch-rivals Barcelona, who host bottom-of-the-table Real Oviedo on Sunday.
La Liga’s top scorer Mbappe reached 21 goals for the season in the competition to help Madrid see off a spirited Villarreal side, who are now fourth.
Arbeloa’s side have won three consecutive matches across all competitions and victory at Villarreal could be a vital step in the revival of their season.
After the shock Copa del Rey defeat at second-tier Albacete in Arbeloa’s first match at the helm just 10 days ago after replacing Xabi Alonso, his Madrid have started to take shape.
The coach has made clear how important his star players are and none has been more crucial this season than French superstar Mbappe, who has netted 34 times across all competitions.
Mbappe and Vinicius Junior “are the best players in the world, they are players who can really unbalance teams, we try to get the ball to them as much as possible,” Arbeloa told Real Madrid TV.
“They’re two players who... I’m really happy to have in this state of form and above all, because of the great work they are doing.
“They are really committed to the team, they are the first who are pressing... they’re giving this effort and solidarity that we need from them, so I’m very happy that their reward comes in the form of goals.”
It was a lively but imprecise start at Villarreal’s Estadio de la Ceramica, as the game glowed but neither side was able to seriously threaten.
Georges Mikautadze lashed a volley narrowly wide after veteran forward Gerard Moreno found him with a floating cross.
At the other end, Madrid midfielder Arda Guler fired straight at Villarreal stopper Luiz Junior after some tidy footwork, and then shot high over the bar at the end of a swift break.
Villarreal’s Juan Foyth limped off hurt in a blow for the hosts, who created a good chance for Pape Gueye just before the break.
The Senegal midfielder, a champion at the Africa Cup of Nations last weekend, powered narrowly wide of the post.
Vinicius, who excelled in Madrid’s 6-1 Champions League rout of Monaco in midweek, also came close with a rasping effort that sailed across Luiz Junior’s goal and wide.
The 25-year-old Brazil forward went a 13th straight La Liga match without scoring, but was involved as Mbappe found the net two minutes into the second half.
- ‘Nightmare for defenses’ -
Vinicius came into the box from the left flank and his low cross was blocked but Mbappe was on hand to squeeze home his 20th league goal of the campaign from close range.
“They are a nightmare for defenses,” said Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. “I hope they can keep bringing joy.”
Villarreal had the better of the second half as they worked hard to pull level, but Moreno spurned their best chance by firing inches over when well-placed.
In stoppage time, Mbappe was felled clumsily by Alfonso Pedraza in the box and the French forward cheekily dinked home the resulting penalty to seal Madrid’s victory.
Mbappe’s team-mate Brahim Diaz, who missed a similar attempted Panenka penalty for Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations final, was on the pitch to see it as he returned to action for his club.
“For you,” Mbappe appeared to say to Diaz during the celebration, indicating it was a gesture of support.
“For me, the most important thing is that are united, we saw it last Wednesday with Vinicius’s goal and we saw it again today, with Brahim,” Arbeloa told reporters.
The Yellow Submarine are now 10 points behind leaders Madrid, having played one fewer match than Arbeloa’s side.
“We have to be a bit more accurate in attack against these kinds of teams,” admitted Villarreal midfielder Alberto Moleiro.
Elsewhere, fifth-placed Espanyol fell to a 3-2 defeat at Valencia that left them seven points behind Villarreal.
