Mind blowing: Keegan Petersen’s catch to dismiss Cheteshwar Pujara on Day 3 of Cape Town Test wows fans
South Africa vs India, 3rd Test: Keegan Petersen took a one-handed stunner to remove Cheteshwar Pujara on Day 3 of the series finale and give the hosts a solid start to the proceedings in Cape Town.
In Short
- Keegan Petersen took a stunning one-handed catch on Day 3
- Petersen's catch gave South Africa a perfect start to Thursday's procedings
- India lost Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane early on Day 3
Keegan Petersen continued to impress in the ongoing Test series against India as the 28-year-old wowed fans on Thursday, January 13 with a stunning catch to boost South Africa's morale in Cape Town. Petersen's one-handed catch was among the finest taken in the leg slip region as on-air commentators Pommie Mbangwa and Sunil Gavaskar were awestruck.
South Africa would have hoped for early wickets on Day 3 after India's senior batters Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara stalled the pace bowling charge with a gritty partnership that took them to Stumps on Wednesday with a 70-run lead.
Cape Town Test, Day 3 Live Updates
However, South Africa dismissed Cheteshwar Pujara for 9 as early as the first over on Day 3 when Marco Jansen bowled a bumper aimed at the India batter's shoulders. Pujara tried to get out of harm's way but the ball took his edge and flew towards the smartly-positioned leg slip.
Keegan Petersen dived full-length towards his right and held on to the catch in a stunning manner even as wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne and captain Dean Elgar watched him complete it in awe.
Pujara was not able to believe his luck as he had to walk back to the dressing room without managing to add a single run to his overnight score.
WATCH: KEEGAN PETERSEN'S STUNNING CATCH IN CAPE TOWN
Keegan Petersen with a magnificent catch on the second ball of the day #SAvIND #FreedomTestSeries #BePartOfIt | @Betway_India pic.twitter.com/zqcAtMahSi — Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) January 13, 2022
Fans heaped rich praise on Keegan Petersen's effort as his catch gave the hosts the perfect start to Day 3.
Mind blowing catch by Keegan Petersen pic.twitter.com/vSbTN66vG3 — Mani (@TweetsMani14) January 13, 2022
The new bird of South Africa - Keegan Petersen. pic.twitter.com/prsXZIrhLX — Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) January 13, 2022
Unbelievable take, Keegan Petersen! #SAvIND — S. Sudarshanan (@Sudarshanan7) January 13, 2022
Keegan Petersen, the flying Protea !!!pic.twitter.com/WZ6emMxQjT — Change of Pace (@ChangeofPace414) January 13, 2022
What a catch from Keegan Petersen ??#SAvIND #sscricket — Kass Naidoo (@KassNaidoo) January 13, 2022
Another spiderman in test cricket. Keegan Petersen ?? pic.twitter.com/Z6slUiUwke — Raja Sekhar Cricket (@CricketWithRaju) January 13, 2022
Keegan Petersen has played an influential role for South Africa in the ongoing series. In just his 5th Test, Petersen led the South African batting with an assured knock of 72 on Day 2 of the 3rd Test in Cape Town. The 28-year-old was solid in defence and played some delightful drives against the high-quality Indian attack.
De Villiers took to social media on Wednesday and said he was impressed with the way Petersen kept the highly-rated Indian pace attack at bay.
"The long and the short is Keegan Petersen CAN play! I’m very excited with the composure, skill and technique I’ve seen against one of the best attacks in the world," de Villiers said.
Meanwhile, India lost their former vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane right after Cheteshwar Pujara'e exit. This time, Kagiso Rabada got the wicket with an unplayable delivery that moved away after pitching in line. It was once again a good catch as Dean Elgar took a rebound from wicketkeeper Verreynne to jolt India in the morning session.