An unbeaten century from veteran Dean Elgar and fifty on debut from David Bedingham allowed South Africa to take an 11-run lead with five wickets in hand over India when bad light ended play on the second day of the First Test at Centurion on Wednesday.
The 36-year-old Elgar is retiring from international cricket after the two-Test series but played one of the best innings of his long career as he scored 140 not out to help the hosts to 256-5 in reply to India’s first innings total of 245.
He will resume on Thursday with Marcio Jansen, who has three, with South Africa seeking to build a decent lead.
Elgar, who took over the captaincy after Temba Bavuma pulled his hamstring fielding on Tuesday, played some unusually flamboyant front foot strokes in a chanceless innings against a fearsome attack on a track set up for the seamers.
He scored a 14th test century but his first at Centurion, which is his home ground.
Elgar brought up his ton in 140 balls and featured in two important partnerships – first 93 runs for the second wicket with Tony de Zorzi, which set a good foundation, and then 131 with Bedingham for the fourth wicket.
The 29-year-old Bedingham looked assured and confident on debut as he scored 56 before being bowled by Mohammed Siraj, who finished the day with figures of 2-63.
Jasprit Bumrah also took two wickets, squaring up De Zorzi (28) and forcing a thick edge to third slip and then bowling Keegan Petersen for two.
Siraj had taken the first wicket of the innings when Aiden Markram went cheaply for five in the fourth over of South Africa’s knock.
Elgar told Sky Sports: “I think things just clicked today. I’ve been in really good form in domestic cricket and I don’t really have a lot to lose now, do I?
“It’s my last series and I want to play with a bit of freedom. But I still want to score runs and get us into winning positions. It did get a little bit easier to bat after lunch and I came out with that positive mindset of looking to score.
“I’m extremely proud of scoring my first century at Centurion.”
Earlier, KL Rahul completed his century before India were dismissed for 245 in their first innings, moving on from 208-8 overnight with play commencing 25 minutes late because of light drizzle.
Rahul, who was 70 not out at the start, went to an eighth Test ton in spectacular fashion, hammering a six into the crowd as the tourists added 37 runs to their first day score before being bowled out.
He had provided stout resistance on the opening day as South Africa threatened to dismiss India cheaply but were let down by spilt catches and inconsistent bowling.
Rahul came out again on Wednesday with the same aggressive intent and put away the bad balls to reach his century before being the last man dismissed as Nandre Burger bowled him for 101 off 137 balls.
Burger finished with 3-50 on his debut with Kagiso Rabada the pick of the home bowlers with 5-59.
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Proudest achievement: Receiving a presidential award for foreign services.
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A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
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1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
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4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
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5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
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6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
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9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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