Ravichandran Ashwin displayed his magic yet again to record a career-best figures of 7/66 as India clinched the four-match series against South Africa by taking an unassailable 2-0 lead with an emphatic 124-run win in the third cricket Test.
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In the morning, chasing the formidable victory target of 310 set by the hosts last evening to stay alive in the series, the visitors slumped to 58 for four, losing two second innings wickets this morning to the two conceded yesterday, before showing some fight to take the visitors to lunch at 105 for 4.
The Tamil Nadu spinner, who had five scalps in the first innings, took home the Man of the Match award with a match haul of 12 wickets.
With the win, India ended South Africa’s nine-year winning streak in away Test series.
India had won the first Test at Mohali while the second Test in Bengaluru was washed out due to heavy rain.
The total was the lowest score India have ever dismissed a side for – beating the 82 they bowled Sri Lanka out for in 1990 – JP Duminy’s 35 steering South Africa past their lowest Test score of all times, the 30 scored against England in Port Elizabeth in 1896.
In the end, South Africa was sent packing for 185, which meant they are yet to touch the 200 mark in the series, which included the embarrassing 79 out in the first innings at Nagpur.
At lunch, skipper Hashim Amla (28) and Faf du Plessis (23) were at the crease as the Proteas need another 205 runs to win the match with six wickets and eight sessions to go.
Ashwin and Jadeja bowled in tandem to dry up the runs and South Africa managed only 17 runs in 19 overs.
It was a good at the office for captain Virat Kohli. Despite the pitch playing a number of tricks and a number of fielders surrounding the bat, the pair countered the spinners, defending resolutely with soft hands. “I assume we might have gotten India out on no less than one hundred forty and it might in all probability have change the complicated of the sport”, Amla stated in a submit-match media convention. “We have tried to improve our game, it is always a matter of us not having the technique or us not having the mental strength to cope with conditions away from home”.
“Mishra showed great character in that tough phase to get Hashim [Amla] and [Faf] Du Plessis out in successive overs, that was a turning point for us”.
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Legspinner Imran Tahir picked up his second five-wicket haul to spearhead South Africa’s fightback as India were all out for 173 in their second innings.
