Facilitating this pace was a well rolled red soil pitch that had something for everyone. Seamers found movement, spinners found zip and turn, and batters could trust the bounce of the pitch and play through the line.

India lost the toss again, dropped a catch in the first hour and nearly let the innings slip out of their hands but Jasprit Bumrah drew first blood before Kuldeep Yadav took three wickets to restrict South Africa to a more reasonable 247/6 at stumps on Day 1 of the second Test.

Reasonable because twice South Africa showed the gumption and application to break away with promising partnerships, first with an 82-run opening stand, followed by a 84-run partnership between Temba Bavuma and Tristan Stubbs despite losing two quick wickets before and after tea.

Bumrah started the last over before tea hitting the good length spot, setting up Markram for a backfoot drive, before pushing the ball fuller by a foot or two, luring Markram into a drive without going to the pitch of it. Middle stump pegged back, India had their first breakthrough.

First over after tea, Yadav changed ends and he straightaway delivered, dismissing the well-set Ryan Rickleton. It was a looped in, classical legbreak that landed on full length outside off and spun away, getting Rickelton forward to play a drive but he got an outside edge that Pant held on to well.

Two wickets in four balls, India seemed to have suddenly got a stranglehold of the game but South Africa were also up for it, this time Bavuma and Stubbs digging their heels in to graft a solid partnership. The pair added 74 in that session even though the pitch was at its best, as India kept stringing useful spells that tied down the scoring.

The scorecard would make for a strange reading, given all batters got starts but none of them converted.

“I thought the one thing we did really well is make sure that none of them got a big score,”assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said at the end of the day. “And that’s one point of difference we can have in the second innings. I guess on the flip side of that, they all got in.”

Not for long though. “Patience, patience bhaiyon (Stay patient brothers!)” was the battle cry Pant resorted to every time the batters showed a hint of restlessness from Bavuma and Stubbs. Soon enough, another wicket came just after lunch that was taken at the time umpires usually call for tea.

Ravindra Jadeja was doing this thing, bowling flat and tight. The moment he tossed up the ball though, Bavuma gave him the charge, but couldn’t beat Yashasvi Jaiswal at mid-off. Soon after, Yadav got rid off Stubbs with a drifter and once again South Africa had to start from scratch at 187/4.

The pitch however kept encouraging strokes from South Africa. Tony de Zorzi took on Bumrah, caressing him through covers for a lovely boundary before attacking Yadav. Dealt a ball that was slightly short, he rocked back and muscled it over deep midwicket for a huge six. One ball later, Yadav tried to entice him with a flighted ball but he leant across and smashed it through extra cover for four.

Mohammad Siraj was wayward in his spell after lunch, allowing Wiaan Mulder to help himself to a couple of boundaries. But Yadav again displayed better measure, asking him to take the aerial route with Jaiswal again stationed at mid-off. Mulder walked into the trap, and Yadav had his third wicket of the match.

Zorzi however kept looking for gaps, realising that South Africa were slowly falling below the par score after the encouraging start in the morning session. Light was fading, and the ball had gone soft by then, so India went for the second new ball in a desperate attempt to prise out a sixth wicket.

Enter Siraj again, steaming in and landing the new ball on the seam to make it leave Zorzi. In two minds, Zorzi fished at it without moving his feet, edging it to Pant who had to lunge to his left and take the catch in front of first slip.

With the lower order slated to come in the morning session of Sunday, the onus is now on India’s seamers to wrap up South Africa’s innings as quickly as possible so that the batters can finally have a go on a pitch that should flatten out even more by afternoon.