Pant spearheads Indian fight-back against South Africa
Risabh Pant made an aggressive half-century as he and a watchful Virat Kohli enabled India to recover after losing two early wickets on the third day of the third Test against South Africa at Newlands on Thursday.
India were 130 for four at lunch, an overall lead of 143.
The left-handed Pant hurried to his fifty off 58 balls and was unbeaten on 51 off 60 deliveries at the interval.
Indian captain Kohli, who added only three runs in the first hour to his overnight score of 14, was on 28 off 127 balls.
India lost two wickets in the first two overs of the day after resuming on 57 for two.
Cheteshwar Pujara, without adding to his overnight score of nine, glanced the second ball from Marco Jansen and Keegan Petersen flung himself to his right from leg slip to take an astonishing catch.
Ajinkya Rahane scored a single but then gloved a lifting ball from Kagiso Rabada.
A leaping wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne got the fingertips of his right glove to the ball and Dean Elgar moved quickly from first slip to complete the catch.
With the series at stake, Kohli was even more cautious than in his patient first innings of 79 but he provided the stability while Pant played more expansively in an unbroken fifth wicket stand of 72.
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