Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin picked up two wickets as India reduced South Africa to 105/4 at lunch to inch closer to victory on the third day of the third Test at the Vidarba Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium here on Friday. Proteas keeper Dane Vilas was caught behind next to give Ashwin his 15th five-wicket haul in Tests and second of the match.
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India maintained a complete stranglehold over South Africa as the tourists require a daunting 278 runs with eight wickets remaining in the third Test to level the four-match series in Nagpur.
India now lead the four-Test series 1-0 after winning the first encounter at Mohali.
The result ended the Proteas’ nine-year unbeaten run in Test series away from home.
The partnership was the second highest for South Africa in this series after the 76-run stand between Amla and Dean Elgar for the third wicket in the first innings of the Mohali Test.
The final Test takes place in Delhi next Thursday, December 3.
Just when it looked like the Indian spinners were set for another easy outing in the park against the Proteas, Faf du Plessis (39) and Hashim Amla (39) laid other plans. Chasing 310 for win, South Africa did offer some resistance but it only delayed the inevitable. Considering the way he has owned South Africa’s batsmen all series, it is foreseeable that Ashwin goes well past that mark.
“These have probably been three of the toughest days I have experienced in my Test career”, Amla said. It was clear that South Africa, which resumed the day at 32 for 2, would face another trial by spin.
Indian captain Virat Kohli hailed Ashwin as the best spinner in the world and said he was pleased to win the series against the number one side in the world.
Ashwin, who took five wickets in the first innings, had Elgar caught bat-pad at silly-point for 18 and AB de Villiers was beaten by a ball that trapped him lbw for 9. The last time India bowled out South Africa for less than 100 runs for in 2006 at Johannesburg when the hosts were skittled for 84.
“We tried to dig deep as long as we can”.
Amla negotiated 167 deliveries and du Plessis faced 152 balls, both making identical scores of 39 before being dismissed by leg-spinner Amit Mishra in the space of six deliveries before tea.
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The Indian bowlers made merry on the crumbling pitch with Mishra (3-40) and Ashwin (3-50) picking up crucial wickets.
