"Today's 34 overs are extremely important" - Ashish Nehra on the final session of Day 4 of 2nd Test

India are still eight wickets away from winning the second Test.

Former Indian bowler Ashish Nehra outlined the importance of the final session of Day 4 of the second Test in Johannesburg. Persistent rain washed out the first two sessions, leaving only 34 overs remaining in the day's play.

With the pitch being under covers and the overcast conditions on offer, the Indian bowlers will expect to be among the wickets. However, the bowling unit could only take two wickets in the third session on Day 3. Nehra expects the Indian bowlers to be a little nervous.

The covers are off. 👏

The umpires have done their inspection. 👌

Play set to resume by 3:45 PM Local Time (07.15 PM IST) at the Wanderers, if there is no more rain. 👍

A total of 34 overs to be bowled.

#TeamIndia | #SAvIND https://t.co/NhRzjN3JS7

While talking to Cricbuzz, Nehra termed the remainder of the Test as extremely important and said:

"Both teams will have butterflies in their stomach with how the game is poised right now. For the Indian team, one minus would be Siraj's injury. From the Indian bowlers' perspective, being a little nervous is a good thing because that is a fine line between confidence and over-confidence. Today's 34 overs are extremely important."

South Africa concluded Day 3 at 118-2 after playing out 40 overs. Skipper Dean Elgar and Rassie van der Dussen survived a probing spell from the Indian pacers to remain unscathed at stumps.

"I would still say that the game is 50/50" - Ashish Nehra

South Africa were 122 runs away from their target while India needed eight more wickets at the end of Day 3. Despite the scoreboard favoring the hosts, Nehra notes that taking all of the factors into consideration, the match is still evenly poised. Nehra added:

"Both batters and bowlers will be looking to get out there. Had India taken five wickets, then the bowlers would have been the happier group to step out on the field. I would still say that the game is 50/50. If you see the scoreboard, you might think that South Africa are ahead but the conditions and the pitch will make the bowlers fancy their chances."

🏏 DAY 4 | UPDATE

The runs required for victory drops to double digits.
9⃣9⃣ to go

🇿🇦 #Proteas 141/2 after 47 overs

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📝 Ball by Ball: bit.ly/3xc4ho5

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The Proteas have made a confident start to their innings on Day 4. Dean Elgar remains at his defiant best and reached his 19th Test fifty. South Africa are now 99 runs away from the 240-run target. India, on the other hand, still need eight more wickets to keep their record in Johannesburg intact.