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MOHALI. — Dean Elgar was the unlikely bowling hero for South Africa as the tourists skittled India for 201 on the opening day of the first Test in Mohali yesterday.

The part-time left-arm spinner, who had managed just six wickets in 17 previous Tests, grabbed four for 22 runs on the dry, dusty pitch which he later described as not being good for cricket.

South Africa were themselves reduced to 9-2 in reply before ending an eventful day’s play on 28 without further loss at the I.S. Bindra Stadium.

Offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin claimed Stiaan van Zyl leg-before for five and left-arm slow bowler Ravindra Jadeja bowled Faf du Plessis for no score with his second delivery.

Elgar (13 not out) and skipper Hashim Amla (nine not out) warded off the immediate threat from the Indian spinners to ensure there were no further setbacks for the tourists.

Opener Murali Vijay was the lone top-order Indian batsman to offer resistance, making 75 before he was sixth out, leg-before while trying to sweep offspinner Simon Harmer.

India were reduced to 154-7 before Jadeja (38) and Ashwin (20 not out) lifted the total with a 42-run stand for the eighth wicket.

Elgar slammed the wicket as one that teams would usually encounter on the fourth day of a test despite recording his best-ever test figures.

“It is not a good cricket pitch but it is wicket that will produce a result either way,” he said. “We sorted of expected it to play like that but we didn’t expect it to crumble the way it already has. — AFP.