India vs South Africa, 4th Test, Day 5 Report: Indian bowlers end South African resistance to win series 3-0
India finally managed to defeat South Africa on the fifth and final day on the 4th Test at the Feroz Shah Kotla, in Delhi, after a day of defiance and patience seldom seen in the modern era, by 337 runs.
After the spirited defiance that the Proteas showed on Day 4, thereby dragging the Test into its fifth and final day, their patience slowly started crumbling as the Indian bowlers crawled their way into the South African line-up.
The overnight batsmen, Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers played with the same stubbornness as they did yesterday before Ravindra Jadeja finally got one through to breach Amla’s defence. Amla had batted for 244 balls for his 25.
Relieved after seeing Amla’s back, the Indian bowlers were further tested when Faf du Plessis joined de Villiers and looked like continuing from where Amla had left off. They took SA to lunch at 94/3. The game was still not in India’s hand.
The next session looked like changing everything, when two of the major roadblocks, du Plessis, and JP Duminy were dismissed in quick succession by Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin. Faf was trapped leg-before by a straight Jadeja delivery, whereas Duminy was caught napping in the defence that he tried against Ashwin, while on the back-foot.
Dane Vilas along with a resolute de Villiers took them to Tea at 136/5. The only person standing between India and the victory was AB de Villiers.
De Villiers batted hard, batted long, but couldn’t bat India out of a victory, and Ashwin, who has had his number since the T20 series, got him once again when he tried to defend off the back-foot while the ball ricocheted off his pads into the hands of Jadeja. India had started smelling victory.
Earlier in the session, Dane Vilas played on when he tried to block an Umesh Yadav delivery, and Yadav returned again to clean up Kyle Abbott. South Africa were eight down, and on the brink of defeat, after what had been one of the greatest shows of defiance in modern-day cricket.
Yadav didn’t look like stopping there, and courtesy a brilliant flying catch by the wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha, dismissed Dane Piedt. Imran Tahir didn’t last long either, as the South African resistance finally ended, as Ashwin dismissed Morkel thereby completing yet another five-wicket haul.
With the five-wicket haul, Ashwin got his fourth of the series and finished the Test campaign with 31 wickets in four Test matches.
Scorecard:
India won the toss and decided to bat first
IND 1st innings: 334
SA 1st innings: 121
IND 2nd innings: 267/5d
SA 2nd innings:
| Dean Elgar | 4 (17) |
| Temba Bavuma | 34 (117) |
| Hashim Amla | 25 (244) |
| AB de Villiers | 43 (297) |
| Faf du Plessis | 10 (97) |
| JP Duminy | 0 (12) |
| Dane Vilas | 13 (50) |
| Kyle Abbott | 0 (7) |
| Dane Piedt | 1 (11) |
| Morne Morkel | 2 (6) |
| Imran Tahir | 0* (1) |
| Total | 143/10 |
Bowling:
| Overs | Runs | Wickets | |
| Ishant Sharma | 20 | 23 | 0 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | 49.1 | 61 | 5 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 46 | 26 | 2 |
| Umesh Yadav | 21 | 9 | 3 |
| Shikhar Dhawan | 3 | 9 | 0 |
| Murali Vijay | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Virat Kohli | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Cheteshwar Pujara | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Man of the Match: Ajinkya Rahane
Man of the Series: Ravichandran Ashwin