South Africa polish off India early

Vernon Philander picked up three quick wickets as South Africa packed off India for 280 in the first hour of play on day two of the first Test here today.

The visitors had begun at their overnight score of 255 for 5, but could only add 25 runs for the loss of five wickets.

Philander finished with 4 for 61 from 27 overs, while Morkel picked 3 for 34, adding another two from the last evening.

Steyn bowled three overs on the second morning but he failed to add to his tally, finishing with 1 for 61. Jacques Kallis (1-37) took a wicket as well, while Imran Tahir (0-47) and JP Duminy (0-30) had gone wicketless in their short spells on day one.

For India, R Ashwin was the unbeaten batsman, 13 off 11 balls, with one four.

Starting at their overnight score of 255/5, Indian skipper MS Dhoni (17 not out) and Ajinkya Rahane (42 not out) looked to build on the platform provided by Virat Kohli's hundred.

They started off well against Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander, who were bowling with the second new ball, only 10 overs old.

Rahane struck the first boundary of the day in the 93rd over, punching Steyn through the covers. At the other end, Dhoni was fiddling with a few played and missed shots, as the South African attack learnt from their mistakes on day one and were bowling a lot fuller, closer to the stumps.

It slowed down the run-scoring as both batsmen started looking to leave as many balls as possible.

In the 99th over of the innings, Morne Morkel tested Dhoni with a couple short of length deliveries, which the Indian captain left well.

However, Morkel pitched the last ball of that over slightly up and Dhoni had to play at it, giving an outside edge to keeper AB de Villiers.

He was visibly upset, shaking his head as he walked off, out for 19 runs adding only two from yesterday. He faced 72 balls and hit three fours.

In the very next over, Philander took a leaf out of Morkel's book and pitched his deliveries even fuller, making an express impact.

On the fourth ball, he made the ball leave off-stump just a tad and Rahane, who had played with great judgement so far, felt for the delivery and was out caught behind.

He made 47 runs, adding only five to his overnight score, as India's hopes for a 350-plus total were undone. He faced 137 balls and hit eight fours in his long stay at the wicket.

It opened the floodgates as Philander trapped Zaheer Khan (first-ball-duck) plumb off his next ball, and found himself on a hat-trick whilst searching for his 100th Test wicket. It was not to be as Ishant Sharma only edged one that fell just short of fourth slip.

He did get him in the next over, 102nd of the Indian innings, a back of length delivery taking Ishant's off-stump, out for an eleven-ball-duck.

Ashwin had fended off Morkel at the other end for two overs. But the lanky Proteas' pacer found a way past Mohammad Shami's defence, bowling him off the last ball of 103rd over, finishing off the visitors' first innings.

On day one, India had finished with 255 for 5 at stumps, after winning the toss and electing to bat first.

Vice-captain Virat Kohli's fifth Test hundred, 119 runs off 181 balls, batting at number four after the retirement of Sachin Tendulkar, had taken his side to a par-score on the opening day of the two Test series.