LIVE: Heavy rain delays start of Day 3 with SA leading by 142

It has started to rain severly with only five minutes to go for the scheduled start. The covers are on and they have been on since midnight local time actually. The met department has predicted passing showers for the entire day, so expect a frustrating stop and start day fo Test cricket. India shouldn't mind that to be honest. The ptich will quicken up with so much of rain and help the seamers greatly. Their first target will be to bowl out South Africa cheaply and the rain might actually help them.

LIVE Scorecard, India vs South Africa Day 3, Cape Town

1.55 PM: Still raining

It has started to rain severly with only five minutes to go for the scheduled start. The covers are on and they have been on since midnight local time actually. The met department has predicted passing showers for the entire day, so expect a frustrating stop and start day fo Test cricket. India shouldn't mind that to be honest. The pitch will quicken up with so much of rain and help the Indian seamers greatly. Their first target will be to bowl out South Africa cheaply and the rain might actually end up helping them.

1.20 PM: Rain alert

It does not look good here. Heavy rains have lashed out in Cape Town and the start of Day 3 in all probability will be delayed.

Under covers at the moment is Newlands. Raining down here heavily! Expected delay in start #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/Q23Pz4h32g

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 7, 2018

Hello and welcome to the live coverage of Day 3 of the first Test between India and South Africa at Cape Town. What shall we say about this Test match? It has been nothing short of a roller coaster ride. But that roller coaster is holding India upside down at the moment, with South Africa leading by 142 runs with eight wickets in the bank.

Day 2 highlights

Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara started off slowly, trying to cope with the South African seamers. They managed to get past the dangerous first hour without loss but the deadlock was broken by Kagiso Rabada when he trapped Rohit with a lovely in-swinger. Rohit's patient vigil came to end. Pujara and Ashiwn took India to lunch with four wickets down but the scoreboard had hardly moved.

South Africa took adavntage of that right at the start of second session. Philander gave India a body blow by getting the wicket of Pujara, who had till then looked very comfortable for his 26. Pujara's wicket triggered a mini slump for India as Ashiwn and Saha went cheaply, India were reduced to 92 for 7, staring at their worst nightmare.

But what followed, simply took everyone's breath away. Hardik Pandya, whose inclusion in the playing XI was a debate, played one of the best knocks by an Indian in recent past on foreign soil. He mixed caution with aggression, braved the South African seamers and smashed his way to his second Test fifty at more than run a ball. 

Giving him good company was Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who took 34 deliveries to get off the mark but was solid.

From 92 for 7, Pandya and Bhuvneshwar took India to 183 for 7 at Tea, bringing the deficit down to just 102 runs. Kumar was dismissed soon after tea and Pandya fell short of his second and well deserved ton by just 7 runs.

India were bowled out for 209, giving South Africa a 77-run lead, far less than what they looked like taking after the first hour of lunch. 

Pandya wasn't done yet, he picked up the ball in his hand and removed both the South African openers after they had given a solid start to the hosts. 

At stumps dependable Hashim Amla (4 batting) was in company of nightwatchman Kagiso Rabada (2 batting). South Africa were leading India by 142 runs.