India legend Sunil Gavaskar credited R Ashwin and Hardik Pandya for their bowling and fielding efforts respectively as India kept South Africa to 335 in their first innings.
"To say that it is like a good Indian pitch would not be an overstatement. India, of course were prepared for a grassy surface as they believe that it gives their bowlers a better chance of restricting the South African batsmen," Gavaskar wrote in his column for TOI.
He added, "They may be a touch disappointed that they were not able to get the Proteas out under 300, but still 335 looks much better than what it looked at tea time on Day One. The pitch is still a beauty to bat on, so India must cash in on it. At Newlands, there was so much seam movement and so much swing for the bowlers, there was always a ball around the corner which had the batsman's name on it."
On Pandya’s terrific run out of Hashim Amla, Gavaskar wrote, "The real turning point was Hardik Pandya's run out of Amla. The partnership between Amla and skipper Du Plessis was assuming alarming proportions when the energetic Pandya sensed his chance and darted across the pitch and swivelled and scored a direct hit at the bowlers' end to send back Amla.”
--By A Cricket Correspondent