Young Indian pacer Harshit Rana delivered a dream over that put South Africa on the back foot during the second innings of the series opener in Ranchi. Chasing a daunting target, the visitors were immediately under pressure thanks to Rana’s fiery spell.

In just the second over, Rana dismantled South Africa’s promising top order. Ryan Rickelton fell first, trapped by a perfectly pitched nip-backer that angled back in, finding the gap between bat and pad and uprooting the middle stump. Rana celebrated exuberantly, charging towards his teammates as the crowd roared in approval.

The danger was far from over. On the very next delivery, Quinton de Kock attempted to take control but edged a fullish delivery outside off directly to wicketkeeper KL Rahul, falling for a duck. Two wickets in one over, both scoreless, and South Africa were suddenly in deep trouble.

Rana’s clinical execution not only removed two key batters but also injected momentum into India’s bowling, setting the tone for a dominant performance in the series opener. The early burst left the Proteas scrambling and highlighted Rana as a rising force in India’s pace attack. (With inputs from Agencies)