[Watch] Keegan Petersen's jaw-dropping catch sends back Cheteshwar Pujara on 2nd ball of Day 3 in India vs South Africa Test
South African youngster Keegan Petersen plucked the catch of the series on Thursday to dismiss Cheteshwar Pujara on the second ball of Day 3 of the third Test in Cape Town.
Left-arm pacer Marco Jansen started the day with a loose delivery outside the off-stump and Pujara left it alone. The second ball was a pacy, awkward bouncer on the body, with the batter clipping it off his gloves in front of his chest.
The ball flew behind the stumps and it looked like it would bisect the wicketkeeper and Petersen, who was specially-placed at leg-slip. But the fielder incredibly flew to his left, got parallel to the ground, and grabbed it out of thin air. Here's a video of the same:
Keegan Petersen with a magnificent catch on the second ball of the day😍
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The leg-slip ploy to Pujara isn't new. During the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the Australians deployed something similar and Pujara countered it by patiently taking blows on his body. A well-directed bouncer on just the second ball perhaps caught him by surprise and a freakish catch did the rest.
Interestingly, Virat Kohli was India's highest scorer in their first innings and had followed it up with a brilliant catch while fielding. Now Petersen, who scored a clinical 166-ball 72 in the host's first innings, has punctuated it with a stunner.
India in trouble after Ajinkya Rahane follows Cheteshwar Pujara to the pavilion
It will be harsh on Shreyas and Gill if India continue to keep their faith in Pujara and Rahane for the Sri Lanka series. If the rope is still long, time to take a knife and cut it. Time to rebuild.
The third day was always going to be decisive and Petersen's catch almost set the tone for the South Africans.
The effect was visible in the next over as Ajinkya Rahane, struggling for form throughout the series, got a menacing lifter from Kagiso Rabada that took his edge to first slip. Pujara's dismissal left India at 57-3 and Rahane's took it to 58-4.
The onus once again lies on Kohli, who'll perhaps be under even more pressure than in the first innings, given the score on the board. The pitch, too, offered a massive bounce in the first half-hour, making it even more difficult to bat. Rishabh Pant, who has replaced Rahane at the crease, will have to chip in as well.