Inspired India take Johannesburg Test after SA lose nine for 53

Even by the standards of this eventful game, played out on a capricious pitch that had attracted plenty of attention from the match officials, the denouement was quite extraordinary. Midway through the day’s play, South Africa were cruising at 124/1. With Hashim Amla and Dean Elgar both scoring half-centuries, they were seemingly on their way to overhaul a target of 241.

But a stunning catch from Hardik Pandya stemmed the tide, and a calamitous collapse of 9 for 53 either side of tea saw India win the third Test of the series by 63 runs. Mohammed Shami finished things off with a burst of 4 for 10. Elgar, who showed such resilience and grit while making 86 off 240 balls, was left high and dry.

But it all began with Pandya and his athleticism. Amla (52 off 140 balls) clipped Ishant Sharma off his pads only to see Pandya take a sensational grab low to his right at short midwicket (124/2). He and Elgar had battled nearly half the day (44.1 overs) on a difficult surface, but Amla’s exit gave India a sniff.

It became more than that when Jasprit Bumrah squared up AB de Villiers with one that flew off the splice to Ajinkya Rahane at gully (131/3). By the time tea was taken, with the hosts on 136/3, the jitters were evident. After the break, India emerged with Dinesh Karthik wearing the keeper’s gloves – Parthiv Patel had suffered a suspected fracture of his right index finger.

Faf du Plessis, whose hundred had so nearly led South Africa to victory in this fixture four years ago, made just two before being flummoxed by an Ishant delivery that moved back in sharply (144/4). And when Quinton de Kock’s nightmare series with the bat continued as Bumrah thudded one into his pads, India were marginal favourites (146/5).

As the tension mounted, India lost a review for a caught-behind appeal against Elgar off Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s bowling. From the other end, Kohli brought on Shami, and the next twist in the tale. Vernon Philander, after slapping the first ball through the covers, chopped the third one on to his stumps (157/6). Three balls later, Andile Phehlukwayo’s half-hearted push cannoned into the stumps off the inside edge.

Six balls later, Kagiso Rabada, who had batted with such composure in the first innings, edged Bhuvneshwar to Cheteshwar Pujara at first slip, and the Indian celebrations said much about how the match had been transformed either side of tea. Morne Morkel lasted all of one ball, as Shami summoned up a magnificent yorker, and Elgar watched forlorn from the other end with South Africa needing another 80.

But with Lungi Ngidi smashing Shami back down the ground, and Elgar taking a four and a hoicked six from a Bhuvneshwar over, hope floated again, only for Shami to end it all with a beautiful delivery that grazed the outside edge of Ngidi’s bat. The on-field decision was not out, but India reviewed immediately, and the replays confirmed why they had been so confident.

After the controversial manner in which play had ended on day three, with the umpires considering the surface unfit for play, play began an hour late because of overnight rain. The tone for the 90-minute morning session was set by the very first ball from Bumrah, which sailed over the wicketkeeper’s head for five wides. And when Amla twice cut Shami for fours, the weekend crowd roared with approval. A Bumrah delivery slipped through for four byes, and Elgar drove Bhuvneshwar for four as South Africa bossed the early exchanges.

Once the Indian bowlers improved their accuracy, on a pitch that had lost some of its venom, the scoring rate slowed. Elgar slashed one over gully for four to bring up the 50 partnership in 125 balls, and Amla then pulled Ishant, the most probing of the bowlers on view, just wide of the midwicket fielder for four more. South Africa went to lunch at 69/1, having added 52 without loss in 19.3 overs.

The defiance continued after the interval, with both batsmen especially strong off their pads when the bowlers strayed in line. Elgar glanced Bumrah fine, and then clipped Ishant through midwicket for fours, while Amla played a wondrous flick off Bumrah. By the time Kohli brought on Hardik Pandya, South Africa needed less than 150. Shami too was brought back as the 100 of the innings came up in the 41st over. A pull for four off Pandya raised the first century stand of the game (240 balls), and Elgar then went past his half-century (153 balls) with a deflection through the slips off the same bowler.

With India unable to stop the singles, Amla got to his second 50 of the game in 134 balls. But from such a commanding position, the complexion of the match changed utterly in the minutes before and after tea.