Hardik Pandya stepped up to the challenge after India were rattled by South Africa's fast bowlers. He scored 93 off 95 balls coming in when the score was 76 for 5 just after Lunch. He scored nearly half the runs scored by India's batsmen in the innings. The rest of the batsmen combined for only 102 runs. Pandya's strike rate was impressive too, at 97.89, whereas the other 10 struck at just 29.39 - 102 off 347 balls. None of the other India batsmen who batted on the second day had a strike rate of over 40.
Pandya got good support from Bhuvneshwar Kumar. They came together at 92 for 7 and added 99 runs for the eighth wicket, the highest eighth-wicket stand for India after being seven down for less than 100. The previous biggest recovery after such a show from top-seven wickets was 74 runs by MAK Pataudi and Rusi Surti against Australia at the MCG in 1967-68 after India were 72 for 7. Overall, it's the sixth biggest eighth-wicket stand for any team after being seven down for less than 100.
Pandya hadn't started very well. He survived twice in his first 20 balls. First, he was given out by the on-field umpire and the decision was overturned after DRS, and soon he was dropped on 15 by Dean Elgar, both these chances off Dale Steyn. However, after the drop he continued carefully. In his first 20 balls, he was in control for only 50% of them whereas in his rest of the 75 balls of the innings, he was in control 77% of the time, for 58 deliveries. Overall, Pandya had an over 80% control against each of Vernon Philander, Morne Morkel and Keshav Maharaj while against Steyn and Kagiso Rabada he had control % of less than 60. Philander, who was the most economical bowler, conceded 17 runs off eight balls to Pandya including four fours. All other India batsmen could score only 16 runs off 79 balls against Philander, including Shikhar Dhawan's tally of nine off eight.
In just four Test innings so far, Pandya has hit two fifties and a hundred, all coming at No. 7 and 8 positions. He now has 271 runs at an average of 67.75 and strike rate of 104.23. In his debut series, in Sri Lanka last year, he had made scores of 50, 20 and 103.