I was bowling in the nets for hours and this was my comeback game. Vijay contributed 47 from 105 deliveries and contained six hits to the rope. When the day started, there was a bit of MS Dhoni in Virat Kohli’s captaincy as he started with Umesh Yadav and Amit Mishra. The Test is heading for an interesting finish.
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Pujara compiled his seventh half-century in checks to lead India to one hundred twenty five for 2 at stumps, an general lead of 142 within the low-scoring match.
But South Africa, which had conceded a 17-run first innings lead, failed to come to grips with the conditions and the result had seemed obvious in less than a session. And the Indian spinner translated this into reality.
Ashwin extracted a lot of spin from the wicket and forced Dean Elgar (37) into an error. “It has been a pressure game for me, I was trying to prove myself again, so I am really happy”, he said.
Harmer trapped Jadeja leg-before wicket and then Mishra went for a pull shot but was caught at square-leg and the batsmen to follow could do little.
“There is no need to unnecessarily hype up the wicket”, the 27-year-old, in his first home series as Test captain, told reporters.
India, who started the third day at 125-2 in their second innings, moved to 161-2 before a batting meltdown saw them lose their last eight wickets for 39 runs.
Ashwin went to lunch with figures of four for 36 from 17 overs.
Things could have been much better for India but for losing Murali Vijay 15 minutes before close of play and having the ever-dangerous AB de Villiers given the chance to prolong his innings thanks to RavindraJadeja’s no ball. It was a diffucult but not an impossive chance. His laboured knock of 37 from 123 deliveries contained two fours.
India’s Ravindra Jadeja celebrate his team’s victory over South Africa during the third day of their first cricket test.
On a track that was massively assisting the spinners from the very first session, a dozen wickets fell on the opening day, followed by another 10 on Day II.
After two more overs, Elgar was removed from the attack. Later, Wriddhiman Saha stumped an on-rushing Amla, with his chest, to bring the roughly thousand odd crowd to their feet. His wicket fell at 105.
India resumed their second innings at 125/2 in their second innings on Saturday.
Vernon Philander (2-38) drew first blood with a moving delivery which Dhawan slashed, managed an edge, and the ball flew into the waiting hands of skipper Hashim Amla at first slip. Rabada not out 1, Imran Tahir c Pujara b Ashwin 4. Extras (lb 7, b 6, nb 1) 14. Four balls later, Ashwin had Dane Vilas, who mishit a sweep to Ravindra Jadeja.
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For India, overnight batsmen Cheteshwar Pujara and captain Virat Kohli began well, looking largely untroubled in their 66-run stand. Imran Tahir and Simon Harmer were the pick for the Proteas with 4 for 48 and 4 for 61, respectively.
