South Africa vs India 2013: 2nd Test: Day 5- South Africa clinch the series despite Rahane's heroics

Dale Steyn

South Africa, chasing just 58 runs to win in the fifth day of the second and final Test match at Kingsmead, Durban, after bowling out India for 223 runs in the second innings, managed to notch-up an easy ten-wicket victory thereby winning the series 1-0.

Beginning the day on 68/2 with Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara at the crease on a day in which a complete quota of 98 overs was expected, India stood a chance to survive in only one way and that is by making sure the duo stayed as long as possible for the others to play it out.

Dale Steyn made sure that it was not the case in the very first ball of the day by getting rid of Kohli, who was unfortunate to be given out caught behind as the ball had only brushed the shoulder on its way.

It would have been too optimistic to expect Pujara to fight it out, given how the series has gone so far with Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni all looking inept against quality pace bowling. But then Steyn took little time to put the final nail in the coffin by producing a peach of a delivery, that straightened after being pitched on the off-stump line from wide of the crease, to rattle the stumps of Pujara.

The only positive thing India could take out from the day was how well Ajinkya Rahane is coming up. The 25-year-old who has been on the brinks of selection for too long finally managed to break in after the series of retirements and has taken the spot with both hands.

While Rohit was trapped plumb in front by an incoming delivery from Philander, Robin Peterson was gifted with two absolutely unnecessary wickets by Dhoni and Jadeja. Zaheer Khan, again sent in number 8 ahead of those who have shown better temperament off-late, surprisingly applied himself to buy sometime which helped Rahane tee-off and propel India past deficit.

As the tail-enders were being dismissed one-by-one, Rahane was forced to play more and more attacking shots which finally drew curtains on his stroke-filled 157-ball 96. By the time, India had taken a lead of 57 runs which meant the home team had to come out to bat for one final time in the series.

The South African opening pair of Graeme Smith (27* off 33) and Alviro Petersen (31* off 37) made little work of the task in hand by chasing down the target in 11.4 overs.

Earlier in response to India’s first innings score of 334, South Africa, led by a century from Jacques Kallis in his last Test match, made 500 to put themselves in a position from which they could force for a victory.