Watch: Kagiso Rabada bowled Rohit Sharma with a perfect away-swinger on the third day of the Boxing Day Test at Centurion, ending his innings for an eight-ball duck.

South Africa were well on top in the first Test of the two-match series after Dean Elgar scored an imperious 185 and Marco Jansen’s unbeaten 84 gave them a first-innings lead of 164. The India bowlers were made to toil in the field, Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna in particular coming in for some punishment.

Batting again after being bowled out for 245 in the first innings, Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal looked in trouble early. Jaiswal was dropped by Aiden Markram off the first ball of the innings from Rabada, and halfway through the third over, Rohit had still not managed to get on the scoreboard.

On the first day, Rohit had only reached five when he holed out playing a hook shot to Rabada. Faced with Rabada again in the third over of the innings, he had his off-stump tested from the first four balls of the over, which he played out for dots. Off the third ball, Rabada sent down a perfect delivery.

It pitched on a length just outside the line of off-stump, and nipped back in off the surface. The ball straightened late and went past Rohit’s outside edge to take out his off-stump with a spectacular cartwheel.

The delivery left Rohit heading back to the pavillion for and eight-ball duck, with India 5-1. Jaiswal followed him less than three overs later, gloving a short ball from Nandre Burger through to the keeper.

At the time of writing, India were 44-2 with Shubman Gill (18) and Virat Kohli (14) at the crease.

Watch: Kagiso Rabada bowls Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma dismissed for a duck Rabada nuked him again 😭#INDvsSA || #SAvsIND pic.twitter.com/KikAoT7KeK

— Rodney (@JustAPunter_ZA) December 28, 2023

Subscribe to the Wisden Cricket YouTube channel for post-match analysis, player interviews, and much more.