Australia takes control of 1st test vs South Africa, reducing home side to 115-4 at lunch of 3rd day

DURBAN, South Africa (AP) — Australia took three wickets in the morning session on Sunday to reduce South Africa to 115-4 (38 overs) in its first innings at lunch on day three of the first cricket test.

Pat Cummins (1-24) and Nathan Lyon (1-22) were the pick of the bowlers as South Africa still trails by 275 runs.

Australia had scored 390 (137.2 overs) in its first innings, thanks to Matt Renshaw’s career-best 190 across the first two days.

South Africa are the reigning world test champions, and they beat Australia in the 2025 final. It is Australia’s first trip to the country since the 2018 ball-tampering scandal when they last toured South Africa.

The home side had finished day two on 27-1 when bad light halted play. Ryan Ricketon fell to Josh Hazlewood, out caught for a three-ball duck.

Aiden Markram (37) and David Bedingham (49) added 57 more runs to their overnight partnership. Australia found it tough going in the first hour as the duo looked to settle down.

The breakthrough came just before drinks when Markram edged Starc to slip in the 21st over. South Africa scored 59-1 in the first hour.

Australia then came charging back in the second hour of the morning session. Cummins and Lyon bowled in tandem, offering no loose deliveries to score from freely.

Temba Bavuma was out caught off Lyon for three runs when Steve Smith took a well-judged catch as Bavuma went for a reverse sweep against the off-spinner.

Cummins then got the settled batter as Bedingham was caught at second slip with Smith taking another great catch to his left. The batter fell just short of his half-century.

At the lunch break, Tristan Stubbs (14 not out) and Wiaan Mulder (7 not out) were the unbeaten batters, with a long road ahead for South Africa.

See AP’s full cricket coverage here

Australia's Nathan Lyon stretches as he attempts fielding his own bowling on day three of the first cricket test match between South Africa and Australia, in Durban, South Africa, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

South Africa's Wiaan Mulder ducks under the ball on day three of the first cricket test match between South Africa and Australia, in Durban, South Africa, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Australia's captain Pat Cummins, center, celebrates with his teammates after taking a wicket of South Africa's David Bedingham on day three of the first cricket test match between South Africa and Australia, in Durban, South Africa, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Australia's captain Pat Cummins, left, appeals unsuccessful for LBW against South Africa's Wiaan Mulder on day three of the first cricket test match between South Africa and Australia, in Durban, South Africa, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

NEW DELHI (AP) — Leaders of a popular Indian youth movement vowed to continue protests Sunday after being released from detention, a day after police cracked down on demonstrations against a controversial revision of voter lists. The movement is demanding the resignation of the country’s election chief.

The protests were triggered after authorities removed more than 130 million voters from the list since last year. Critics say the move is politically motivated. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the Election Commission deny manipulation allegations.

The Cockroach Janata Party's three leaders — Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka — were freed on condition that they commit “no breach of peace for one year,” Ratna Singh, the movement's legal director, said in a social media post. It was unclear what the condition meant or whether it would restrict their participation in protests.

Police boarded the leaders’ flight from Mumbai after it landed in New Delhi on Saturday and took them into custody as they prepared to lead a demonstration in New Delhi.

After his release, Dipke called Modi “an embarrassment to India.”

“Never has this country seen a bigger coward and bully,” he wrote on X.

Das, a spokesperson for the movement, urged supporters to take to the streets. “A situation has been created where the state is at war with its own citizens,” he told reporters Sunday.

Following Saturday's protests, authorities launched a sweeping security crackdown in the capital, detaining more than 2,000 protesters, including several opposition lawmakers. Train services to the capital were canceled, metro stations closed and mobile internet suspended in parts of the city.

Most of those detained were released late Saturday, police said.

Small groups of protesters returned to the Indian capital on Sunday, staging marches across the city. The police quickly broke up most of the demonstrations, detaining some protesters again.

Protesters are demanding the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar, the chief election commissioner. Modi’s party has said the voter revision is needed to eliminate duplicate and ineligible entries.

The Cockroach movement began as an online satirical campaign this summer after India’s chief justice compared unemployed young people to parasites. Many young Indians embraced the remark, adopting the cockroach as a symbol of resilience.

Protests led by the group forced the resignation of Modi’s education minister in July, a rare setback for the prime minister, who has been in power for more than 12 years.

Police detain a protester during a demosntrationt demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar during a protest in New Delhi, India, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Prabhat Mehrota)

Police detain Communist Party of India (Marxist) lawmaker John Brittas during a demonstration demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar during a protest in New Delhi, India, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Sanjeev Rastogi)

Abhijeet Dipke, center, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party, stands on the court premises following his release in New Delhi, India, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Prabhat Mehrota)

Police detain a protester during a demosntrationt demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar during a protest in New Delhi, India, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Prabhat Mehrota)

Security personnel detain a protester during a youth demonstration demanding the resignation of the country's election chief Gyanesh Kumar, in New Delhi, India, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Vipin)