Ashwin was the lone Indian bowler to taste success in the morning by accounting for the two wickets to fall – overnight not out batsman Dean Elgar for 18 and the visitors’ major hope A B de Villiers for 9 in the space of 18 balls with classical off-spinner’s thought process.
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R Ashwin picked up a seven-wicket haul and Amit Mishra took the rest as India sealed the series against South Africa with a 124-run victory on Friday (November 27), the third day of the third Test in Nagpur.
Ravi Ashwin was the chief destroyer for India taking 5/32 in the first innings and career best innings figures of 7/66 in the second, as he made it near impossible for the Proteas to have any chance of securing a result from the match.
Ashwin mixed his deliveries well and has taken 3-35 in the test as India pushes for a series-clinching win in the four-match series, which it leads 1-0. India won in Mohali but the Bengaluru match was washed out due to rain. This was also the first away series loss that South Africa has suffered since 2007. The fourth and final Test will be played in New Delhi from December 3.
Proteas head coach Russell Domingo did his best to retain faith in a miracle after the second day’s play in the third test but few were convinced.
Set 310 to win, their defiant 72-run, fifth-wicket partnership lasted 46.2 overs until Amla was caught by the captain, Virat Kohli, at gully off Mishra. Kohli then said that Jadeja’s return to the national team is a matter of great pride, specially after the 26-year-old’s domestic grind. He is been one of the main reasons why we are able to win back-to-back series. 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. “There have been a handful of fifties at least, in both teams, so it would be harsh to say that this South African team has struggled to score runs”.
“Obviously very disappointing. It was a hard game”, Amla said at the post-match interview. “We tried to dig deep for as long as we could”, said Amla, who has failed to live up to expectations so far in the series.
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South Africa faced a tough task since a target of more than 300 runs had been chased successfully just once on Indian soil – by the home team, who made 387-4 to defeat England in Chennai in 2008. The du Plessis-Amla partnership was frustrating the Indian bowlers but they were boosted with 15 minutes to go to tea with a double break.
