As it happened - South Africa vs India, 3rd men's Test, Cape Town, 2nd day

It's been an absorbing 11-wicket day, but it ends with India nosing their way into the ascendancy, with Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara overcoming the loss of both openers to battle through to the close. The lead is 70, with eight wickets in hand, but with three maidens in a row from Lungi Ngidi, South Africa have at least prevented that advantage from stretching towards three figures just yet.

Shiva Jayaraman writes: "KL Rahul’s dismissal was only the second wicket for Marco Jansen with a delivery pitching on full length in this series. With a release point well over seven feet, the full length is probably the natural length for the young Jansen to land his deliveries. He rarely moves the ball in the air into right-handers from over the wicket, so most of his deliveries from over the wicket to right-handed batters leave them with the natural angle. However, the delivery that curves into the right-handers is the one that seeds doubt in the batters' mind and messes with their footwork. Jansen will possibly learn to swing the ball into the right-handers in due course, but at present, the full length is where he proves very expensive.

"Before this innings, Jansen had bowled 80 balls on the full length and has conceded 25 boundaries off them. That’s one every 3.2 balls. Among fast bowlers to have bowled 60 or more balls in Tests in the last year, only one other bowler, Mohammed Shami, concedes a boundary under five balls on an average from that length. Only five others conceded a boundary once every six bowling full. Jansen’s full deliveries go at an economy of 9.2 runs an over. That’s almost two runs an over more expensive than the next fast bowler in the last one year."

Marco Jansen matches Rabada in picking up where he left off in the first innings, and Aiden Markram's tumbling take at second slip leaves India two-down with an overall lead of 37! His high-kicking angle across KL Rahul's bows proves too hot to handle, with a awkward prod on an off-stump line and both of India's openers are gone. This contest is hotting up some as Virat Kohli emerges with a massive final hour in store.

Kagiso Rabada has his fifth of the match this time, and it's come just as India were threatening to get a jump on South Africa in their second innings. With Duanne Olivier proving a touch leaky at the other end, and Rabada's own fire being undermined by a succession of no-balls, a firmly planted front-foot drive for four seemed to have singled a swing in momentum. But back came Rabada with his very next ball, dragging the length back to snag the edge with a hint of away movement, for a chest-high take from Elgar at first slip.

This is a massive moment in a thrilling second day. Kagiso Rabada picks up where he left off in his ferocious first-innings display, challenging India's openers with natural pace on an aggressive full length, and it seems he's prised the opening with a pad-thumper in front of off. But Mayank Agarwal has got a big stride in, and reviews the lbw verdict. And as was the case with a brace of India's own unsuccessful reviews, replays show that the Newlands bounce is taking that over the top of middle. 4 for 1 reverts to 4 for 0, and a lead of 17.

He was made to work for it in the end, thanks to a doughty display from South Africa's tail, but after a succession of near-misses, a looping leading edge pops into the covers off the blade of Lungi Ngidi, and South Africa are all out for 210 - a deficit of 13. It's a one-innings shoot-out in store at Newlands! How far advanced will the contest get tonight, with 19 overs still to come before the close?

Shardul Thakur ends Rabada's stay ... and it's the fuller length that does the trick. Not unsurprisingly, RG is tempted to unfurl his strokeplay through the line, launching one thump into space at long-on to bring up the 200, before flogging another loft to Bumrah at long-off. A bit of a sucker punch, but he's played a useful hand to nibble towards parity.

Some priceless runs from South Africa's wagging tail - 17 for the ninth wicket to date, with a boundary apiece for Duanne Olivier and Kagiso Rabada, who has also worn a sharp bouncer from Umesh Yadav on the helmet, which has required a mandatory concussion check. That deficit is being chipped away, 27 remaining now, although with South Africa having to bat last, even a fractional lead for India could prove very handy in the final analysis. Broadly speaking, India have dragged their lengths back for the tail, more short-pitched balls, both to rough up their opposing quicks, and to give them less in their half through which to unleash their levers.

An early strike in the final session and it’s a massive blow for South Africa’s hopes. More angle into the right-hander from Bumrah, demanding a stroke through sheer inexorability, and Keegan Petersen pushes forward fatally on off stump to deflect into the cordon. Reaching 200 will be an achievement now.

Jasprit Bumrah has India's fourth wicket of an absorbing session, as Marco Jansen plays down the wrong line of another full-length delivery, angled into the stumps, and has them splattered as a consequence! That's been a vast 30 minutes for India... just when South Africa looked to be riding out the storm, they've had their lower-middle order punctured. But Keegan Petersen remains steadfast, on a career-best 70 not out. If he can nudge towards a maiden hundred, South Africa will be right in the first-innings mix.

Two wickets in three balls for the forensic Mohammad Shami, and suddenly this contest has lurched right back into the balance!

First to go is Temba Bavuma for 28, a valuable share of a 47-run fifth-wicket stand, which featured four fine boundaries, including a slammed cover drive from the very previous delivery. But Shami dragged his length back by half a yard to snag the edge, and Virat Kohli leaped to his left to cling onto his 100th Test catch, the sixth Indian fielder to do so.

Two balls later, a wider line and similar length, with just a hint of away movement, lures Kyle Verreynne into an uncertain poke outside his eyeline, straight into the keeper's gloves. Just as South Africa were sizing up a full session without a wicket, they've lost two in a blink.

Edging into the cordon is a lucrative business at the moment! Last week in Christchurch, Will Young picked up seven for New Zealand against Bangladesh, after a drop in the slips was whanged away for overthrows after the batters had run three. Today in Cape Town, the post-drinks deadlock is broken in similarly bizarre circumstances, as Pujara at first slip stoops to intercept a loose cut from Bavuma, but cannot cling on. The ball spills out of his hands, and rolls inexorably into the pile of helmets behind the wicketkeeper.

A brace of tight maidens to take the teams to drinks, with Shardul Thakur nipping the ball off the seam with habitual poise, before R Ashwin returns to take his figures to 4-2-7-0 in a quietly probing start to his work. The deficit has dipped down to 86, but Keegan Petersen and Temba Bavuma are obliged to play the long game for the moment. This contest remains on a knife-edge.

Jitters upon the resumption for South Africa and van der Dussen in particular. He could have been run out twice in as many overs, and now departs for 20 after driving at a full-length delivery on off stump, and scuffing a high edge to Virat Kohli at second slip. It's due reward for the probing Yadav, and it's given India a vital post-lunch boost after their slightly off-the-boil second hour of the morning.

Not sure what van der Dussen had for lunch, mind you. He nearly came a cropper via two sketchy tip-and-run singles - first to mid-on, where Shardul's shy went just wide, then into the covers, where Rahane pounced with an outstretched right hand, with his quarry not even halfway down the pitch. Moments earlier, Petersen under-edged a cut, one bounce short of Pant behind the stumps. In between whiles, however, Petersen continues to show his class, in particular with another imperious cuffed boundary through the covers.

A huge appeal in Umesh Yadav's first over of the afternoon session, and Rassie van der Dussen survives an lbw appeal by the skin of his off bail! It's a beauty from Yadav, especially in light of his previous delivery which jags past the edge like a 135kph legbreak. This one straightens on an off-stump line, turns vdD inside-out and raps him on the inner thigh. But umpire Erasmus has a good handle on the bounce on this deck, and Virat Kohli loses another review for India.

The fifty partnership between Keegan Petersen and Rassie van der Dussen comes up in the penultimate over before lunch, and van der Dussen flicks Shami's final ball of the session off his pads to bring up the 100 too, to complete an excellent session for the hosts, in what still promises to be a low-scoring dogfight. The day started appallingly for them, with Jasprit Bumrah's second-ball extraction of Aiden Markram, but with Keshav Maharaj standing firm for the first hour, they've limited the damage to a solitary top-order scalp while adding 83 to their overnight 17 for 1. And as for the main man of the morning, Petersen, he's earned himself some notable praise...

After 32 runs in the first hour of an absorbing morning, there's been just the suspicion of an upping of the ante from South Africa and Keegan Petersen in particular. He was a sheet anchor in that pre-drinks session, leaving the attacking intent to Keshav Maharaj as he bedded in for 6 runs from 42 balls. But now he's racked up six fours in nine overs, four of them through point off the seamers as he's latched onto rare width, and then a sweet flick off the toes as Shardul Thakur strays too full. At the other end, Rassie van der Dussen sees off a maiden as R Ashwin enters the attack, but Petersen quickly turns to the reverse sweep to keep that run-rate rising.

India's attack is unrelenting this morning, with all four members providing stern and contrasting examinations - from Bumrah's induckers to Shami's seam, to Yadav's slippery discipline, to Shardul Thakur's wily allsorts. He's created three massive moments in the space of his first seven balls since drinks. First, there's a huge shout for lbw that Kohli agrees to review - it's full and straight and slapping the back leg, but umpire Erasmus correctly ascertains that it is sliding over the top of middle. And if the extra nip is nearly Petersen's undoing on that occasion, then Rassie van der Dussen is grateful for the lack of carry off his outside edge three balls later, as Kohli sprawls forward but can't reach the chance at second slip. And from the very first ball of his next over, Petersen survives an identical incident. India might want to bring that cordon up a stride or two...

Splat! Keshav Maharaj's middle stump goes walkabout, as Umesh Yadav makes the second breakthrough in his second over of the morning. It's the scrambled seam that does the job this time, full and straight, nipping back off the deck and bursting through a loose drive to uproot the timbers. Still, it's been an important hand from the nightwatchman, who has drawn the sting of India's attack for the best part of the first hour, and even unfurled the shot of the morning, a sweet cover drive for four off Shami. He's gone for 25, as Rassie van der Dussen emerges with an important job to do.

It's a torrid examination, but Keegan Petersen is just about clinging on. Mohammad Shami has found some trampoline bounce on a good length outside off, the odd ball fizzing through at head height to the keeper, and it's another lifter that kisses the shoulder of Petersen's bat and jags off into the cordon. KL Rahul stoops at third slip as the ball reaches him almost on the half-volley, but Rahul's rueful wringing of his fingers confirm that he got them underneath alright. It's a let-off, but on this evidence, there will be more chances to come.

At the other end, Keshav Maharaj is gritting it out with impressive poise, particularly against Jasprit Bumrah's hassling angle back into the stumps. One slight issue for India is Shami's official warning for following through in the danger area. It looked a marginal call from umpire Erasmus, and Virat Kohli wasn't best impressed, but it's something for the seamer to keep in mind as he continues his tight wicket-to-wicket approach.

A monstrous moment in this contest, in this series! Jasprit Bumrah unfurls an inducker, second ball, as Aiden Markram loses his off stump while shouldering arms to an apparent sighter! It was all about the angle for Bumrah, wide on the crease, zeroing in inexorably as South Africa's opener fatally lost his bearings. It's the sort of dismissal that can send shockwaves through a dressing-room. Any hopes of a nice quiet half-hour to nibble into the deficit has been torpedoed from the outset.

That wicket certainly seems to have got Bumrah's blood pumping. In his second over, he unleashes a howling inswinger to the flat-footed Keshav Maharaj that skims over the top of his leg bail, and keeps on swinging to burst through Pant's gloves as he flings himself down the leg side. Another tentative stab earns a single to square leg off an inside-edge. Mohammad Shami, meanwhile, has the seam under perfect control as ever. That 223 is looking rather more handy already.