South Africa tour of India 2015

Scorecard - 3rd Test, India vs South Africa at Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground, Nagpur, India (25 Nov 2015)

India

215/10 (78.2) RR:2.74

173/10 (46.3) RR:3.72

India won by 124 runs

MOM: Ravichandran Ashwin

South Africa

79/10 (33.1) RR:2.38

185/10 (89.5) RR:2.06

What is COW?

COW Circuits

Due to some technical problems, we are unable to cover live matches on our site and app. We are working on it and will be back soon. Please stay tuned for more.

74.4 - Harmer to Ashwin, FOUR, that's a lovely shot from Ashwin. Too full from Harmer this time, Ashwin waits for the ball to come and drives it nicely from the middle of the bat to the left of the man at mid-off

72.2 - Harmer to W Saha, FOUR, Harmer's fingers are tiring is my deduction. Too many looseners now. This one is a full toss drifting across off. Cover region is vacant. Thanksgiving came a day early. Driven away

70.4 - Harmer to W Saha, byes, FOUR, nah. Very, very poor. Darted it down the leg-side. And turns further and further away. Now what can poor Vilas do. Tries his best but can't even get a glove

70.0 - Tahir to W Saha, FOUR, Tahir and a full toss go like butter with popcorn. Saha advances and whacks it over mid-wicket

65.5 - Rabada to W Saha, byes, FOUR, now Vilas is being put through the grind. Was fairly decent in the first two sessions. But now the fatigue is showing. First up, it was a poor delivery. Well down leg. He moves across and tumbles but the ball sneaks through

59.1 - M Morkel to Ravindra Jadeja, FOUR, it's full and wide, there is a flash, and the ball is running away to the third man fence. Didn't bother to move his feet across. And ended up finding a thick edge which scoots away behind backward point

57.1 - M Morkel to Ravindra Jadeja, FOUR, oh my. The conditions are completely different but this has shades of Lord's 2014. Jadeja and a counter-attack. Anything in his half will go. Pitched up outside off, Jadeja clears his front leg and biffs it straight back over the bowler's head. Morkel thought about sticking his arm out but then he doesn't want to lose it

56.2 - Tahir to W Saha, FOUR, and this is why he's not being bowled more. Right this. Floated up on the stumps, Saha meets it on the full and sweeps it over mid-wicket

54.5 - Duminy to Ravindra Jadeja, FOUR, this could be the last over before tea, but Jadeja is not afraid to play his shots. Short and on the stumps, Jadeja rocks back and pulls well over mid-wicket, the contact was very good and it ran away for four

53.0 - Harmer to Ravindra Jadeja, FOUR, I think this is quite evident now. Harmer is struggling against the left-hander. Bangs it way too short, Jadeja punches it uppishly off the back foot, the non-striker ducks under it and mid-on was way too square to stop the boundary

50.1 - Harmer to Ravindra Jadeja, FOUR, short and wide outside off stump. Does he have a problem bowling to left-handers? This is a rank long hop and it's the third time he's bowled that in a space of 4 balls. Jadeja rocks back and cuts hard, the man at short cover flies to his right, but it escapes for four handy runs for India

48.4 - Harmer to Ravindra Jadeja, FOUR, that's a lot of turn, but it's slow turn. Allows Jadeja to camp on the back foot and cut in front of square on the off-side, goes through cover, the fielder gives chase and dives but loses the race

40.0 - M Morkel to W Saha, FOUR, fuller length delivery and holding its line outside off, Saha plays with soft hands, the outside edge goes in the gap between second slip and gully, races away to the fence in a hurry

35.5 - M Morkel to Kohli, FOUR, streaky and four, full and wide from Morkel, luring Kohli into the drive, he can't resist, goes with hard hands, gets a thick edge that goes wide of second slip

29.0 - Harmer to Kohli, byes, FOUR, much better from Harmer, but that has cost his team four runs. This was tossed up on off and spun a long way down the leg-side, Kohli was pressing across on the tuck, he's beaten, so is the keeper and the man at leg slip, races away for four byes

25.4 - M Morkel to Kohli, FOUR, goodness gracious! Wow. Not without reason do people pick out his cover-drives from the others. Nothing wrong with the delivery. Perfectly on a good length just outside off, Kohli leans into it and pastes the drive wide of mid-off. Save your legs. But they never listen

18.0 - Tahir to Pujara, FOUR, he has just opened the release valve. The googly, but short and wide. Pujara sees it early, stays back in his crease and cuts it when late to send it skimming behind backward point

17.1 - Tahir to Pujara, FOUR, nah, can't afford to do this. Low full toss on the stumps. Pujara whacks it across the line through mid-wicket

8.0 - Rabada to Vijay, FOUR, width on offer and Vijay gets his second boundary in a row. Good length outside off, Vijay waits again and then deftly opens the face of the bat to steer it through gully. No-one at third man and the ball finds the fence

7.5 - Rabada to Vijay, FOUR, down leg again and that's easy for Vijay, he waits for the ball to come on and then flicks it away wide of mid-wicket, the ball races away

4.2 - M Morkel to Vijay, FOUR, he was hit the last time when Morkel dug in short, this time he was waiting for it and dismisses that over mid-wicket. Didn't rise at all and was outside off, Vijay pulled that fiercely and since he had so much time to deal with that, got it in front of square and well in front too

3.4 - Rabada to Dhawan, FOUR, this short ball doesn't have any sting and Dhawan helps himself to a boundary. Dhawan got inside the line of that and swivelled on the shot to pull it to the fine leg fence. No problems in dealing with that

3.0 - M Morkel to Dhawan, FOUR, first boundary of the day and it is a streaky one. Angled across Dhawan, around the fourth stump line, Dhawan defended and the thick edge went dying and to the left of gully, who got a hand on the dive but couldn't stop it from escaping his grasp. Rolled away into the vacant third man fence

32.2 - Harmer to Rahane, SIX, lovely shot, Rahane shimmied down the track, doesn't get to the pitch of the ball, uses his wrists to good effect and whips it high and over wide long-on for a maximum

10.4 - Harmer to Vijay, SIX, magnificent blow that. This time Vijay uses his feet and gets to the pitch, smothered the turn on offer and lofted it handsomely over long-on. The ball sailed into the crowd. Nice meaty strike there and he puts Harmer under pressure

78.2 - Harmer to Mishra, out Lbw!! That's plumb in front and India are all-out for 215. Flatter in trajectory and Mishra thought he can play off the back foot, but it kept low and sneaked under the bat to strike Mishra plumb in front. Harmer finishes with 4 wickets. Mishra lbw b Harmer 3(9)

78.0 - Tahir to Ashwin, out Bowled!! Finally Tahir gets his name into the wickets column. Googly starting outside off stump, Ashwin picked it and tried to work it towards mid-wicket with the turn, but he played a touch outside the line and missed it completely. The ball crashed into the off stump. End of a handy innings from Ashwin. Ashwin b Tahir 15(44) [4s-1]

73.0 - Harmer to W Saha, out Caught by Duminy!! South Africa badly needed this. They were looking listless in the past 15-20 minutes. And it takes a special effort from Duminy to pull it off. Tossed up on the middle stump line, dips on Saha who was advancing to flick it away, means that he is nowhere near the pitch of the ball. Hits him high on the bat and spoons to the left of short mid-wicket. Saha must have felt he's fairly safe. But that's before he saw Duminy flying across. Stretching both his arms while in the air and plucks it out of nowhere. W Saha c Duminy b Harmer 32(106) [4s-4]

64.0 - Rabada to Ravindra Jadeja, out Bowled!! That's an appalling stroke. If it can be called as a stroke even. Sees the length, sees the width, and just loses his mind. Aims an expansive windy woof through the covers. Hurls the bat towards the ball, chops it back onto the stumps off the inside edge, and hurls himself back to the dressing room. Ravindra Jadeja b Rabada 34(54) [4s-6]

46.2 - Harmer to Rohit, out Caught by de Villiers!! In the air, taken, appeal from South Africa and Ian Gould raises his finger after a long thought. Big inside edge onto pad and an easy catch for leg slip, who moves to his left and collects the dolly. Flighted delivery on the stumps, Rohit lunges forward to defend, the ball takes the edge and lobs off the pad. Rohit shakes his head as he walks, more in disappointment with himself than with the decision. Or may be he was angry at Saha for opting for that risky single. Rohit c de Villiers b Harmer 2(28)

39.2 - M Morkel to Kohli, out Caught by Dane Vilas!! Edged and caught! Kohli falls and India are in trouble. This was the line that has got him into problems so many times previously, this was pitched up in that channel outside off, Kohli prodded forward on the defensive push, the ball jagged away a tad, finds Kohli's outside edge and nestles safely in the gloves of Vilas. The umpires check for a possible no-ball, but Morkel is fine on that count as well. India have lost half their side now. Kohli c Dane Vilas b M Morkel 22(55) [4s-2]

37.2 - M Morkel to Rahane, out Bowled!! Morkel has the final say! This was pitched up in that corridor outside off and came back with the angle, Rahane was lining up for the ambitious cover-drive, the ball wasn't all that full to play the shot, it cut him in half, clipped the back-pad and takes out the off-stump. Rahane's shot looked ugly on replays, he wanders off - with his off-stump firmly on the ground. Another failure for Rahane at home. Rahane b M Morkel 13(25) [6s-1]

30.1 - Harmer to Pujara, out Lbw!! Lazy footwork from Pujara, this one didn't spin as much as he expected, he was rooted to his crease, pushed his bat forward and is beaten. Struck bang in front of middle, that was going on to hit the stumps. It was nicely bowled as well, Harmer dropped this one outside off and got it to spin back a shade, Pujara had to get his bat in front of the pads as he went back, couldn't do so and it's an easy call for umpire Gould. Pujara lbw b Harmer 21(43) [4s-2]

21.2 - M Morkel to Vijay, out Lbw!! Oh my word. That's an absolute peach. A rip-roaring delivery. Play that if you can. Vijay has no answers. Angled in on a length on middle, gets it to straighten considerably both in the air and off the pitch. Vijay is rooted on the crease, squared up completely and plays inside the line, hit flush on the kneeroll of the back pad. Oxenford has the easiest decision he'll get to make all day. And why is there a roar? Oh, Kohli is walking in. Vijay lbw b M Morkel 40(84) [4s-3 6s-1]

14.0 - Elgar to Dhawan, out Caught&Bowled!! Well bowled and well caught by Elgar. He dives to his right and completes a sharp catch and then flings the ball away. Similar to how he did it in Mohali, he has proved to be the golden arm and the partnership breaker. Dhawan used his feet and got too close to the pitch of the ball, the ball stopped on his shot and the bat face closed on the drive, since the face closed the ball lobbed back in the air and Elgar did well to hang on. South Africa needed that wicket. Dhawan is a bit disappointed, has a look at the edge of his bat before going off. Replays show that when the ball landed there was a puff of dust. Dhawan c and b Elgar 12(23) [4s-2]

63.2 - Rabada to W Saha, 1 run, edged and has that been put down? Oh yes. Oh yes. Vilas got his right glove underneath the ball but just couldn't hang on. Shaping away on a back of a length wide of off, Saha punches away from his body. Loose shot and finds the edge. Was always dipping on the keeper. But he did the tough part diving across. Just slips out of the fingers

30.3 - Mishra to Rabada, FOUR, rare bad ball from India in the session. Full toss on the stumps, Rabada's one hand comes off the bat handle but he still places the lofted drive wide of mid-off. Was in the air but in the gap as well. Much needed boundary for South Africa

25.3 - Ashwin to Harmer, FOUR, good looking sweep shot from Harmer. Flighted ball in the slot, Harmer gets down on one knee and sweeps it along the ground through square leg,

22.3 - Ravindra Jadeja to Harmer, FOUR, fired down leg, Harmer sweeps and is early into the shot, the ball takes a bit of glove and nutmegs Saha before racing away. Can't really call that a chance at all, had Saha closed his legs and the ball stuck in them, then it would've turned out to be a freak dismissal. Another streaky shot to get off the mark

13.2 - Ashwin to Duminy, FOUR, down leg and Duminy waits for it and then sweeps it fine, Ishant gives chase and dives to pull it back but the ball eludes his grasp. Duminy was in full control of the shot as he waited for the ball to pitch and then only played the sweep, rolled his wrists to keep it down

13.0 - Ravindra Jadeja to du Plessis, FOUR, fired in on the stumps, du Plessis defends and gets an outside edge, not sure whether it carried to second slip, went low and very quickly, beat the fielder and raced away to the fence. There was a man chasing that but the ball sped away. Streaky but South Africa will take any run that comes or is offered at the moment

5.2 - Ashwin to Tahir, FOUR, Tahir takes the attack to Ashwin. Flighted delivery on the stumps, Tahir gets down on one knee and sweeps it along the ground through square leg

2.4 - Ishant to Elgar, FOUR, first runs for Elgar and the Proteas. Short delivery on the stumps, not much of bounce, looks like the bang-the-ball-short-and-scuff-it-up theory has started, Elgar pulls through mid-wicket and picks up four

20.2 - Ravindra Jadeja to Duminy, SIX, Duminy has done it once again. Uses his feet to get to the pitch of this flighted ball and he's lofted this with the turn over long-on, the connection was very good and it cleared the rope

14.5 - Ravindra Jadeja to Duminy, SIX, superb from Duminy. That's one way to take the pressure off. Dances down and gets to the pitch of it before slamming it over deep mid-wicket. Got great connection and it went all the way. Duminy needs to do more of that to put the pressure back on Ravindra Jadeja

33.1 - Ashwin to M Morkel, out Caught&Bowled!! All over! Another fifer for Ashwin. His 14th one in Tests. He is becoming some spinner, isn't he! Slower and on off, Morkel was looking to play with a closed bat face, the soft leading edge goes to the right of Ashwin who moves and takes it with both hands. Morkel was better off defending that one but saw the flight on that and reckoned there were runs for the taking. Not to be. South Africa have been cleaned up for just 79. M Morkel c and b Ashwin 1(2)

32.1 - Mishra to Duminy, out Lbw!! Mishra strikes and the end of Duminy. Full marks to Duminy though. He was one batsman who batted with intent and at least tried to hang in there and do something out of the ordinary. But he has got out in trying to be too cute. Even before the ball was bowled, he was pre-meditating the shot, shuffled across his stumps and then changed his mind on seeing the ball land. The ball spun in and beat his attempted defence, to strike the front pad. Struck in-line and Oxenford raises his finger. Duminy with that shuffle should've got outside the line of off, but he came back in line when the ball landed which meant trouble. India just one wicket away from wrapping this up. Duminy lbw b Mishra 35(65) [4s-1 6s-2]

27.2 - Ashwin to Harmer, out Bowled!! Another one goes. And Harmer has contrived to get out in a comical way. This was the carrom ball from Ashwin, pitched outside leg, turned across Harmer who was looking to work that away, the ball comes ever so slowly and nutmegs the batsman before falling on off stump. Harmer waited for an age to get bat on ball but somehow missed the shot. Unlucky that the ball didn't clip the pad as it pitched outside leg and would've negated the lbw appeal. Anyway that's the eight one down and Ashwin celebrates by sticking his tongue out. Harmer b Ashwin 13(10) [4s-2]

22.2 - Ravindra Jadeja to Dane Vilas, out Bowled!! The off pole is uprooted and Jadeja is delighted. He pushed this through quicker, pitched around off stump line and turned enough to beat Vilas' attempted forward defence. The ball beat the outside edge and shattered the off stump. This is the 4th wicket for Jadeja and he's unstoppable. Dane Vilas b Ravindra Jadeja 1(15)

17.0 - Ravindra Jadeja to du Plessis, out Bowled!! Utter madness from du Plessis. Look at Duminy's reaction at the other end and for that matter du Plessis' too. While Duminy doesn't know what to say at that shot, du Plessis just bows his head down and walks off. What was that Faf? Everyone in the South African team must be asking and wondering. He was in control till the very moment he tried this. It was quicker and on off, du Plessis had probably decided no matter where the ball pitched he would play a big shot, slogs mindlessly and sees his off stump pegged back. Ravindra Jadeja looks at the heavens and raises his fingers to celebrate. That was not even a T20 shot. du Plessis had come forward to slog and left a huge gap between bat and pad for the ball to go. Another wicket gifted on a platter to India. The hosts won't mind that at all. du Plessis b Ravindra Jadeja 10(20) [4s-1]

12.3 - Ravindra Jadeja to de Villiers, out Caught&Bowled!! What is happening out there? Now de Villiers is gone. This is unbelievable stuff. The stuff of dreams. Lovely bowling from Ravindra Jadeja, but de Villiers has contributed to his dismissal by trying something which wasn't advisable. The ball turned and was bouncing, he went back and tried to whip that, couldn't control the shot, could only tamely lob it back to Ravindra Jadeja's right. He won't drop those. Better off playing defensively to that one rather than look for anything else. de Villiers was committed to the shot, by the time he tried to control the damage, it was too late. India have South Africa on the mat. 12/5 the score reads and a sorry looking de Villiers walks back. de Villiers c and b Ravindra Jadeja 0(6)

11.1 - Ashwin to Amla, out Caught by Rahane!! Amla is walking. Gould mentions that to an appealing Ashwin. He points that to Ashwin. Great to see Amla walking. But what a way to get out. Pre-meditated the sweep, got outside off but was early into the shot, not sure whether it was glove or the back of the bat, the ball ricochets off Saha's shoulder and lobs to Rahane at first slip. A dolly and South Africa are crumbling here. Replays show that it brushed the glove flap and then took the back of the bat. Very unlucky dismissal, especially when it ricocheted like that off Saha's shoulder. Could've gone anywhere, but unfortunately for Amla it went straight to slip. This innings could get over very quickly if South Africa aren't careful. Amla c Rahane b Ashwin 1(10)

9.5 - Ashwin to Elgar, out Bowled!! Wow! Ashwin gets Elgar after beating him four times in a row. First time the ball has hit the bat today and the result is a wicket. The carrom ball outside off, Elgar reckoned it was a god's gift as there was width on that ball, it was outside off and he went hard on the cut, but could only manage an inside edge onto the stumps. Looks at the wreckage before trudging off. Ashwin deserves all the credit for setting up Elgar with four offies and then bowling the carrom ball. India have their early wicket and the stodgy Elgar is dismissed in the first over of the day. Dream bowling from Ashwin. Elgar b Ashwin 7(35) [4s-1]

6.5 - Ravindra Jadeja to Tahir, out Bowled!! First ball to the nightwatchman and Jadeja castles him. Flighted delivery from round the wicket, the ball pitched on off stump line and turned just enough to beat the outside edge of Tahir. The off stump is disturbed and the Indians are delighted. South Africa are 9/2 inside 7 overs. Tahir b Ravindra Jadeja 4(12) [4s-1]

3.1 - Ashwin to van Zyl, out Caught by Rahane!! Number one down for South Africa and the crowd love it. Harmless flighted delivery from Ashwin. Pitched around middle stump line from round the wicket, the replay suggests that there was a puff of dust as the ball pitched, so that meant there was a good amount of turn, van Zyl was on the front foot to defend, but the thick edge flew straight to Jinks (Rahane) at first slip. This is just the start India wanted. van Zyl c Rahane b Ashwin 0(7)

21.2 - Ashwin to Duminy, 2 runs, tough to call that a dropped chance. Flighted ball on the off stump, Duminy looks to defend off the front foot, gets a thick edge, there was a big deviation and it Saha's left knee, Rahan was diving to his right, but the ball flew to his left off the keeper's knee and escaped to third man

17.3 - Ashwin to Duminy, no run, Kohli has put down a sitter at second slip! Life for Duminy. What bowling from Ashwin though. It was slower and turned across Duminy, who was defending off the back foot, took the shoulder of the bat and a simple chance to the Indian captain who shells it. Went straight in and straight out. Kohli expected the ball to come a bit quicker, but it came slowly and his hands were in no position to catch

44.1 - Tahir to Mishra, FOUR, oh genius! What a shot. Uses his feet. Makes sure to leave enough room to allow a clean swing. Gets close enough to the pitch and pulverizes the inside-out lofted shot over extra-cover. One bounce into the fence

43.2 - M Morkel to Mishra, byes, FOUR, jags back in sharply from a back of a length and cuts Mishra in two halves. And oh God. It's beaten Vilas too. What a nightmare this is turning out to be. To be fair on him, the ball dipped furiously after passing the stumps and fell on the half-volley. But he hardly got a glove

42.4 - Tahir to Mishra, FOUR, now he does. Skips down and thwacks it straight back. Tahir sticks out his right hand but the ball eludes him easily and rockets away

39.5 - Harmer to Ashwin, FOUR, too straight, too short. Spins into middle and leg. Ashwin swivels across and helps the pull fine. No one there

36.3 - Tahir to Rohit, FOUR, oh gorgeous. Whipped against the turn. But the delivery landed too full so he didn't need to worry about it. And there is that lazy-elegance which people fawn upon

34.2 - Tahir to Ravindra Jadeja, FOUR, Imran Tahir can be such a frustrating bowler to captain. Fluctuating furiously between extremes. Full toss outside off, Jadeja drives it wide of mid-off

33.5 - Harmer to W Saha, FOUR, Harmer has been ordinary so far in this innings. Just been lacking consistency. Full toss drifting away, slapped through the cover region

28.5 - Tahir to Rahane, FOUR, you'll get this with Tahir every now and then. Loopy full toss on the stumps and all Rahane has to do is punch it past mid-on

25.3 - Harmer to Dhawan, FOUR, and now a misfield. Oh dear. A similar leg-sidish delivery, Dhawan picks out backward square leg with a sweep. And the fielder who is Elgar allows the ball to go through his palms

25.2 - Harmer to Dhawan, FOUR, where's the consistency. From king to beggar in two balls. Drifting down leg, Dhawan squats on one knee and pierces the sweep behind square

21.0 - M Morkel to Kohli, FOUR, just how intriguing. Anything full in the same fifth-sixth stump line, Kohli is well forward. Meets it under his eyes and drives it serenely through the cover region

19.5 - Duminy to Dhawan, FOUR, I'm so done watching this. Short, short and more short. Dhawan can't believe how lucky he is. Jumps back and marauds the pull through mid-wicket

19.2 - Duminy to Dhawan, FOUR, now fluffs his line. Ordinary stuff. Loopy delivery drifting down leg, Dhawan just helps it fine with a glance. Despite a chase and a slide from the backward square leg fielder, the ball sneaks through

19.1 - Duminy to Dhawan, FOUR, short, Dhawan rocks back and pulls it well in front of square. This here. This is the difference between the two teams. The quality of spin. Ashwin and Jadeja hardly got a ball wrong. Whereas the Proteas tweakers are hell bent on offering some every over

18.2 - Rabada to Kohli, FOUR, full and drifting on the pads, flicked away through mid-wicket. These are play-yourself-in deliveries

17.2 - Duminy to Pujara, FOUR, this is a poor start from Duminy, rank long-hop outside leg, Pujara rocks back and pulls it behind square on the on-side for back-to-back boundaries

17.1 - Duminy to Pujara, FOUR, gentle start from Duminy, dropped it short and well down the leg-side, Pujara swivels across and pulls it behind square on the on-side for a boundary

16.4 - Rabada to Pujara, FOUR, lovely shot, full and angling onto the pads, a leg-stump half-volley on Pujara's pads, flicked away in front of square on the on-side, beats mid-wicket and races away to the fence

16.3 - Rabada to Pujara, FOUR, streaky and four, this was the slower delivery outside off, Pujara went hard on the back foot cut, gets an inside edge past the off-stump. Dane Vilas dives and gets a hand onto it, but can't save the boundary

9.2 - Harmer to Dhawan, FOUR, nicely played by Dhawan, this was very full and well outside off, Dhawan went down on his knees, rolled his wrists around it and swept it in front of square on the on-side, no one in the deep, a boundary for Dhawan

4.5 - M Morkel to Pujara, FOUR, another off-cutter from Morkel, but this turns out to be a slower floaty half-volley, Pujara leans forward and drills it through extra cover for a boundary, nice way to get going

1.5 - Harmer to Vijay, FOUR, Vijay gets lucky. He pre-mediated the paddle sweep and the top edge eludes backward square leg, went on one knee and got outside off, but the ball came slower and took the top edge, Faf was there but it cleared him and raced away to the fence. South Africa needed that to go to hand

37.2 - Harmer to Rohit, SIX, and Rohit Sharma has decided to unleash himself. The flight on the ball makes him see red, dances down the pitch and flogs it over wide long-on

46.3 - Tahir to Mishra, out Bowled!! It's a five-wicket haul for Tahir, his second in Tests. Immediately he does the Sajda. This spell will give him a lot of confidence. Remember, he was not even the first-choice spinner for his captain even today. This was the quicker one on the stumps, Mishra spotted it late, was on the back foot to cut as he saw that the length was short, but in the end tried to jam it down, but the ball sneaked through before the bat came down and uprooted the middle and leg sticks. Mishra b Tahir 14(18) [4s-2]

45.4 - M Morkel to Rohit, out Caught by Elgar!! That's a soft dismissal. A lot of inswing on this short of length delivery, Rohit tries to play a stylish flick, but he couldn't control the shot and scooped it high in the air, mid-on settled under it and took an easy catch. Third wicket for Morkel. Just one more wicket to go before South Africa bat again. Rohit c Elgar b M Morkel 23(39) [4s-1 6s-1]

41.4 - M Morkel to Ashwin, out Lbw!! You could tell this was coming. Ashwin was all at sea. Pitched up and hooping back in on middle. Ashwin plays outside the line on the straight drive perhaps expecting no movement at all. Loses balance with his head falling over and fails to connect. That would have crashed into middle and leg. Ooooh, and some spice now to cap it off. Looked like someone chirped something to Ashwin as he was walking off. He definitely seemed to have been offended. Turned around in retaliation. But has to drag himself away. Ashwin lbw b M Morkel 7(22) [4s-1]

35.3 - Harmer to Ravindra Jadeja, out Bowled!! And the wickets keep tumbling. Jadeja gone now. So no late counter-attack on this occasion. Flatter trajectory on this delivery which is drifting in on off, the flight of the delivery lulled Jadeja into thinking it was short. Backs away to cut but it doesn't bounce as much. The turn isn't there either which cramps him for room. Chops it back off a thick inside edge into the off-stump. Ravindra Jadeja b Harmer 5(6) [4s-1]

34.1 - Tahir to W Saha, out Caught by Amla!! Umpire Gould walks across to his square leg colleague. They have a chat and we go upstairs. It's the hack again from Saha. Oh, what has he done here? Gets it off the bottom edge which hits the keeper's boot and lobs up to Amla at first slip. That has to be out. Saha is waiting with a nervous look. Will soon see the dreaded finger. Oh sorry, much more sophisticated way of signalling the marching orders. The third umpire punches OUT on the big screen. I remember Saha playing this shot twice yesterday and without much success. And here he is, going for it again. W Saha c Amla b Tahir 7(13) [4s-1]

30.3 - Tahir to Rahane, out Caught by Duminy!! Tahir has 3. And he is a bit toned down with his celebrations. But these are just give-aways from the Indian batsmen. Well flighted googly turning in from wide of off, Rahane aims to blast it through the covers, played inside the line slightly. Slices it off a thick outside edge. The ball spoons in front of backward point where the fielder is quick to bend low and snaffle it comfortably. Rahane c Duminy b Tahir 9(13) [4s-1]

28.1 - Tahir to Kohli, out Caught by du Plessis!! Oh Kohli. Someone please tell me how much is the required run rate. Yeah, I know this is a Test match. But first Dhawan and now the captain himself. I can't quite comprehend the approach. Floated up on off, Kohli looks to scourge it over mid-wicket, the ball turns, he ends up slicing it in the air off the outside half of the bat. Lobs up straight to long-off, du Plessis stations himself under it and pouches it close to his chest before tumbling over. Kohli c du Plessis b Tahir 16(30) [4s-2]

26.5 - Tahir to Dhawan, out Caught by Dane Vilas!! Why Dhawan, why? He was making good strides to playing himself back in form. To settle the debate at least for the next Test regarding his spot. Mind you, I am in no way implying that he would be dropped. But I am digressing. Coming back to the moment. Pushed through and drifting with the arm outside off, Dhawan bends low on one knee and attempts a reverse sweep. Not sure how many times I have seen him play that shot. Is very late to bring the bat across. Only succeeds in finding a bit of glove on the way to the keeper. Dhawan c Dane Vilas b Tahir 39(78) [4s-6]

17.3 - Duminy to Pujara, out Bowled!! Pujara looks stunned, but he has to go! Another batsman perishes - playing for the spin and ending up looking foolish. This was tossed up on middle and went through with the angle, Pujara was playing for one that spun back in, he ends up pushing inside the line. The ball beat his outside edge and clipped the outer-half of off-stump. It was just a gentle nudge, but enough to send Pujara back to the hut. Pujara b Duminy 31(45) [4s-5]

4.2 - M Morkel to Vijay, out Caught by Amla!! Vijay falls immediately after lunch! This was the slower off-cutter, very full and just outside off, Vijay was playing with an open face, he was looking to guide it past Amla at first slip. Instead, he guides it straight towards the South African captain. The ball was dying in front of him, but Amla does well to bend low and scoop it with both hands - inches above the turf. Just the start that South Africa would have wanted - after a disastrous first session. Vijay c Amla b M Morkel 5(15) [4s-1]

15.2 - Harmer to Dhawan, 1 run, that will go down as a chance, but it would have been a stunner had Elgar held on. This was tossed up just outside off, Dhawan went down on his knees for the sweep, gets a top-edge over square leg. Elgar ran back a fair distance, stretched his hands as forward as he could, got his fingertips onto the ball, but can't hold on. Winces in pain as he gets up

89.3 - Ashwin to M Morkel, FOUR, a friendly full toss from Ashwin and Morkel doesn't miss out. Easily drives it along the ground through mid-on for four

85.3 - Ashwin to Rabada, FOUR, in the air, but it will clear mid-off. Flighted delivery on the stumps, Rabada mistimes the loft, it got off the bottom of the bat, Jadeja gave chase and flicked it, but the ball rolled back towards the rope again off the other hand

78.0 - Mishra to Dane Vilas, FOUR, lovely shot, the wrong 'un goes horribly wrong for Mishra, drops it short and on the stumps. Vilas is all over the ball, rocks back and pulls it wide of mid-wicket for a boundary

74.3 - Ashwin to Duminy, FOUR, poor line, flighted delivery down the leg-side, Duminy sweeps it along the ground through backward square leg

73.2 - Mishra to Duminy, FOUR, Duminy steps out and takes this on the full, flicks it away through mid-wicket and it runs away for four

71.2 - Mishra to du Plessis, FOUR, punched off the back foot and "yes, yes, yes" says du Plessis. In fact the timing is so good and that is the first boundary in about 24 overs. The length was short enough from Mishra and du Plessis didn't miss out

46.1 - Mishra to Amla, FOUR, gift for Amla, juicy full toss from Mishra, whipped away in front of square on the on-side for a boundary

39.2 - Mishra to du Plessis, FOUR, oh the outside edge is found but there is no one at second slip. Not sure why Kohli has only one slip and silly-point in place. He still has over 200 runs in the bank. Sharp turn for Mishra, on seeing the length being short, du Plessis rocks back to cut, but was foxed by the turn and got away with a thick edge

32.4 - Ishant to du Plessis, FOUR, that's the problem with slips standing wide and not at a conventional position. This pitches outside off and then reverses away, finds the outside edge of du Plessis, beats Saha diving to his right. Not sure whether it would've carried to first slip had he been there in his normal spot. Very tough chance and it was always going down which gave him no chance

27.3 - Ashwin to Amla, FOUR, half-volley outside off and Amla crunches a drive through the vacant cover region. Got forward and displayed a high elbow to put that away. All along the ground. That is the Amla we know

23.1 - Ashwin to de Villiers, byes, FOUR, huge turn for Ashwin and Saha can't get across in time to stop that. de Villiers missed the flick as he went back, since the ball spun so much, it missed everything

20.1 - Ravindra Jadeja to de Villiers, FOUR, streaky but de Villiers gets away. Charges Ravindra Jadeja and even though he isn't to the pitch, lofts, gets enough to clear mid-off running back. Mid-off was interested for a while but the ball was always winning there

8.4 - Ravindra Jadeja to Tahir, FOUR, inside edge and it runs away for four. Fired full from round the wicket, Tahir tries to defend, gets a thick edge that rolls past the keeper to the fine leg boundary

7.5 - Ashwin to Tahir, FOUR, now that's a brave hit! Flighted delivery on the off stump, Tahir waits for the ball to turn and lofts it over mid-on and gets off the mark in style

6.5 - Ravindra Jadeja to van Zyl, byes, FOUR, that's beaten everyone! Quicker ball outside off stump, doesn't turn much, beats the outside edge of van Zyl's bat as he tries to defend off the front foot, Saha didn't read that as well. It went right through him

5.3 - Ashwin to Elgar, FOUR, Ashwin bowls this down the leg-side and Elgar helps himself to a boundary by glancing it fine to the fine leg boundary

40.2 - Ravindra Jadeja to du Plessis, SIX, du Plessis got out to Jadeja attempting a big hit in the first innings, but this time he's hit this with a straight bat and got a maximum. Once again Jadeja darts this too full, du Plessis just lofts it back over the bowler's head for a maximum

17.2 - Ashwin to Elgar, SIX, calculated blow and Elgar gets six. Saw the flight on that and then went down to slog-sweep well, hits the ad-cushions on the full near deep mid-wicket. He got out playing that shot in Mohali, here he hit it well

89.5 - Ashwin to M Morkel, out Bowled!! Carrom ball and Morkel has not picked it. These are career-best bowling figures for Ashwin. India have sealed the series 2-0, with the Delhi Test left. This is the first away Test series loss for South Africa since 2006 against Sri Lanka. This is also the first Test series win for India over South Africa since 2004-05. Morkel played outside the line of this carrom ball and got beaten, the ball hit the leg stump. M Morkel b Ashwin 4(8) [4s-1]

87.4 - Ashwin to Rabada, out Caught by Kohli!! Easy catch for the Indian captain at second slip. Flighted delivery outside off stump, Rabada had to play at it, he tried to defend off the front foot, but the ball spun and took the thick edge of the bat. It went straight to second slip. 6th wicket of the innings for Ashwin. India are just one wicket away from sealing the series. Rabada c Kohli b Ashwin 6(17) [4s-1]

82.0 - Ashwin to Dane Vilas, out Caught by W Saha!! Another ten-wicket haul for Ashwin! Lovely keeping from Saha as well. This was tossed up on middle and spun down the leg-side. Dane Vilas was looking to nudge it towards the on-side, the ball went very close to the glove - but was there an edge? Need more replays to confirm it. The Indians went up in unison, umpire Oxenford takes his time and lifts the dreaded finger. Replays suggest that there was a bit of glove involved. Dane Vilas c W Saha b Ashwin 12(16) [4s-1]

81.1 - Ashwin to Duminy, out Lbw!! Terrible misjudgement from Duminy! He didn't offer a shot to a straight ball - bang in front of middle, simple call for umpire Oxenford. This was the slider from Ashwin, pitched on off and went straight on, Duminy was playing for the turn, got a good stride forward and let it go. Mistake, the ball slid straight on and hit the pads, a disappointed Duminy walks back to the hut. India are three wickets away from rewriting history. Duminy lbw b Ashwin 19(44) [4s-2]

71.5 - Mishra to du Plessis, out Bowled!! Don't they say one brings two? It certainly has. After Amla, the well set du Plessis too has been removed by Mishy. He's delighted and is mobbed by his team-mates. So 40 is still the highest individual score in this game. Short and on the stumps, du Plessis went back to pull, but it kept low and sneaked under the bat to hit the middle stump. Amazing how things change dramatically. Both Amla and du Plessis were looking solid, but suddenly both have been dismissed in quick succession. du Plessis b Mishra 39(152) [4s-3 6s-1]

70.0 - Mishra to Amla, out Caught by Kohli!! Finally, the 72-run stand has been broken. The crowd comes to life once again. End of an excellent innings from the South African captain. He might have scored just 39 runs, but this innings was full of character. Even when he was beaten so many times, he was not disturbed and was ready to offer a solid forward defence next ball. This was the flighted delivery that pitched on the stumps, bounced a lot and took the shoulder of the bat as he looked to defend off the front foot. Kohli was alert at gully and even though it flew high, he jumped and took it well. India have got the opening 10 overs before the second new ball and it is a massive wicket as well. Amla c Kohli b Mishra 39(167) [4s-2]

23.4 - Ashwin to de Villiers, out Lbw!! Superb stuff from Ashwin and that is plumb in front. He has had de Villiers on toast all over and now nails him. This was the carrom ball, went straight on, de Villiers was in no position to play, the bat came down at an angle and his feet were stuck to the crease, didn't pick the ball and was struck on the back pad in front of off. Easy decision for Oxenford and the end of de Villiers. The ploy to play some unorthodox cricket has gone against de Villiers. But full marks to Ashwin for keeping his cool even though de Villiers was trying everything to put him off. Replays show that de Villiers' bat was near leg stump when the ball struck him on the pad. Looks pretty awful. India on their way now. de Villiers lbw b Ashwin 9(21) [4s-1]

17.5 - Ashwin to Elgar, out Lbw!! Didn't take long for Ashwin to get Elgar out, did it. This was quick and on middle, Elgar didn't get forward and in trying to defend from the crease got a thin inside edge onto the pad, the ball lobbed to Pujara at silly point. Oxenford raised his finger quickly and Elgar is not too happy with that call. He just stares at the umpire and walks off. Definitely two sounds and given out for bat-pad. If there was no bat, then Elgar was in front of the stumps as well. Not the start South Africa would've hoped for. Brings AB to the crease. There is some confusion as to whether Elgar was given out lbw or caught at silly point. Now we get official confirmation that Oxenford ruled that out lbw. But if that is the case, then Elgar has every reason to be disappointed for he got an inside edge. But you can argue that he was caught anyway, so how does it matter. The point is if Oxenford didn't pick the inside edge onto pad, he wouldn't have given that as caught. But as far as the lbw call was concerned, Elgar was struck in line and was plumb in front. Elgar lbw b Ashwin 18(58) [4s-1 6s-1]

11.1 - Mishra to Tahir, out Lbw!! Mishra gets his revenge. Tahir knocked him over earlier, now Mishra has trapped Tahir in front. Once again the ploy to send the nightwatchman in doesn't work for South Africa. This was pushed through and on the stumps, Tahir was on the front foot to defend, he played for spin but it went straight on and hit him in line with middle and leg, umpire Bruce Oxenford thought about it and then raised the finger. Tahir lbw b Mishra 8(7) [4s-2]

7.4 - Ashwin to van Zyl, out Caught by Rohit!! This is the fifth successive time that van Zyl has got out to Ashwin in this series. A soft dismissal. Not a wicket-taking ball, but the field placement was good by Kohli. He had a man for the uppish drive at short cover and van Zyl hit it straight to him. Flighted delivery very full around middle and off, because van Zyl didn't lean fully forward, he couldn't control the drive and perished. Just as one thought the openers were doing a decent job, van Zyl gifts his wicket away. van Zyl c Rohit b Ashwin 5(29)

85.4 - Ashwin to Rabada, 1 run, dropped. Rabada tries to works this sharply turning delivery into the on-side, gets a leading edge, Rahane moves to his left at first slip but doesn't catch it. Rare misfield by Jinks, who is normally very good with his catching

8.3 - Ravindra Jadeja to Elgar, 1 run, dropped, but it was a tough chance. Flighted delivery spinning back in, Elgar comes down the track and swings across the line and hits it in the air, Vijay at short mid-wicket was very close and he tried to grab it with his right hand, but couldn't hold on

72.2 - Ravindra Jadeja to Duminy, no run, Duminy jumps out and mistimes the flick, short leg intercepts and throws to the keeper, but the dive saved Duminy. A direct-hit would have been curtains for Duminy