South Africa236 for 4 (Kapp 69*, Luus 65, Rana 3-61) trail India 603 for 6 dec (Shafali 205, Mandhana 149, Ghosh 86, Harmanpreet 69, Tucker 2-141) by 367runs
After a 3-0 defeat in the ODI series and conceding 525 on the first day of the Test, South Africa did not let India dent their confidence on Saturday.
However, Rana – who got the ball to spin more than any other spinner – got the first breakthrough in the eighth over when she bowled one rare short ball. But it kept low and Wolvaardt completely missed her pull to be trapped lbw. Bosch and Luus stayed on for the next 23 overs, stitching 63 runs. However, Bosch, who hit four fours and a six, fell a few overs before tea. Rana was at it once again. After the previous ball spun sharply, Rana bowled one full outside off. Anticipating the turn, Bosch leaned forward and nicked it to Deepti Sharma at slip.
At 96 for 2, South Africa found stability via Kapp and Luus who blended caution with aggression. Luus respected the good deliveries, scoring almost equally on the off and leg side. In all, she scored 65 off 164 balls that included six fours and one six over long-on against Rana.
Kapp, unlike Luus, played more off the back foot and scored predominantly on the off side, with seven of her eight fours coming in that area. She reached 50 off 87 balls and remained unbeaten on 69 off 125 at stumps. She fought cramps and a stiff back towards the end of the final session, but didn’t throw her wicket away.
Once Tucker departed, Nadine de Klerk joined Kapp with the pair stitching an unbroken 38-run stand off 56 balls. De Klerk showed good intent in the final hour and hit five fours in her unbeaten 27 off 28 balls.