India’s batsmen showed they were not good enough to take this match into the fourth day. Eyeing their first-ever Test series win in the Rainbow Nation, now they can at best draw this two-Test series.
South Africa got 152-4 in 42.4 overs on the day. Virat Kohli got 76 off 86 balls and other nine Indian wickets contributed a mere 47 in 20-odd overs.
Two dismissals via two superb balls and their implications underlined the importance of timing. When Bumrah cartwheeled Rabada’s off-stump with a ball that angled in and zipped away, it was too late to have any significant impact on the tone of the match. South Africa had already crossed 390 runs by then. On the other hand, Rabada clipping Rohit Sharma’s off-stump set the tone. It was the seventh time Rabada had removed Rohit in Tests.
South Africa had taken a decisive step to winning the Test by clinching the 150-minute first session, getting 135-2 in 34 overs and setting up a platform to bat India out of the game. Led by Dean Elgar’s big hundred (185; 287b, 28x4s), South Africa accumulated 408.
With the pitch offering something for the pacemen, Indian bowlers were expected to fare better. The absence of Shami, the inexperience of debutant Prasidh Krishna (only 12 first-class games before his Test debut) and the part-time quality of medium pacer Shardul Thakur was apparent. India could not put together even decent patches of energy, effort and imagination.
South Africa amassed almost 60 per cent of their runs in boundaries (55x4s, 4x6s). Changing gears and remaining unaffected even if he got beaten was the hallmark of stand-in captain Elgar’s knock. He was not entirely in control in his 425-minute vigil, but he forged three 90-plus partnerships: with de Zorzi, David Bedingham and Marco Jansen (84*, 147b, 11x4s, 1×6).
Elgar’s robustness stood out when he punched, drove and pulled. But he was careful enough to use soft hands when needed. His 111-run sixth wicket association with Jansen deflated India.
When India started their second innings, Aiden Markram at second slip had offered Yashaswi Jaiswal (5) a birthday gift by grassing him off the first ball. But the lefthanded opener could not take the opportunity. He managed to glove debutant left-arm seamer Nandre Burger (4-33) to get out caught behind.
Shubman Gill mistimed a pull, hit a glorious cover-drive before playing across the line to a fullish ball and got his stumps disturbed. Gill had earlier dropped Coetzee’s reverse sweep in the first slip off Ashwin. Shreyas Iyer did not learn from Gill’s dismissal and played left-armer Jansen all over.
Kohli fought from one end and didn’t hold himself back despite wickets falling in a heap. A six off Coetzee over point was the highlight. Burger lured first-innings centurion Rahul to a drive after four dot balls and got him caught at second slip. Then he had Ashwin caught at gully next ball.
Bumrah getting run-out, strolling for the second run, underlined India’s cluelessness and capitulation.
