India end series with triumph on extremely tough pitch
India couldn't dismiss Dean Elgar at all, but found a way around him to complete their third Test win in South Africa
24/01Result
3rd Test, India tour of South Africa at Johannesburg, Jan 24-27 2018
-
![India]( "India")
187 & 247 -
![South Africa]( "South Africa")
194 & 177 (73.3 ov)
Player of the Match
24/01Result
3rd Test, India tour of South Africa at Johannesburg, Jan 24-27 2018
-
![India]( "India")
187 & 247 -
![South Africa]( "South Africa")
194 & 177 (73.3 ov)
Player of the Match
Day 4
'Hope the critics will be eating their words for dinner tonight!'
Twitter reactions to India's Test win over South Africa on a spicy track in Johannesburg
South Africa beaten at their own game
They achieved the series victory, but having the final Test taken off them will hurt Faf du Plessis' side for some time to come
Wanderers not far from facing serious sanctions
Officials at the Wanderers would have breathed a sigh of relief when play resumed on the fourth morning but they should not hold their breath on an all-clear
Umpires to remain alert for pitch behaviour
The match referee will not compromise the safety of the players. If it continues to behave dangerously, the match could still be called off
A first in Test history: 120 wickets up for grabs, 120 wickets taken
Although it was bowlers' series, Dean Elgar recorded the third instance of a South African batsman carrying his bat
Battered and bruised Elgar says Test should have been called off
Despite playing arguably his finest Test innings, Dean Elgar suggested too great a risk had been taken with player safety when play was allowed to continue
Ishant Sharma, India's lifeline
He is rarely bowling any bad balls and because of the pressure he created at one end in Johannesburg, South Africa were always on the hook
Day 3
Kohli, Rahane and lower order put India on top
India closed in on a rare Test win in conditions that required courage, skill and some luck, but one hit too many to the batsmen forced the umpires to take the players off the field with South Africa 17 for 1 chasing an improbable 241
What we know after a bruising day at the Wanderers
All the talking points from the third day at the Wanderers, which was marked by inconsistent bounce and batsmen getting hit on the body
Test match set to resume after uneven-bounce deliberations
The umpires took the players off 19 minutes before scheduled stumps on day three because of concerns over their safety, but after a meeting between the match referee and the two captains, it has been decided to resume play as scheduled on day four
India show courage and conviction on tricky surface
On a highly uncertain third-day surface, India's batsmen stared the devil in the eye and bore everything it threw at them
'This is not a cricket pitch, this is dangerous'
Was the pitch put out for the Johannesburg Test dangerous to the players' well being? The cricket world has its say
Kohli becomes India's highest scoring Test captain
He went past Sunil Gavaskar and MS Dhoni to take the record
We asked for pace and bounce, not grass - Gibson
South Africa coach Ottis Gibson insisted that while they asked for surfaces that would assist their pace attack, the exaggerated bounce and lateral movement was unexpected
Challenging pitch, but not dangerous - Rahane
The batsman insisted the ball that hit Dean Elgar in the helmet did not behave in an extraordinary manner, and said India, having 'prepared turners' for the home series against South Africa in 2015-16, had expected to play on pitches like this one at the
Day 2
India have noses ahead in second-innings shootout
Jasprit Bumrah picked up five wickets and Bhuvneshwar Kumar three as India kept South Africa to a seven-run lead despite a masterful 61 from Hashim Amla
Bumrah: We expected wickets to fall in bunches
The India fast bowler reflected on the importance of discipline and simplicity on a bowler-friendly wicket like the one at Wanderers
A show of guts and resolve from Rabada and Philander
Hashim Amla put on a special act at the Wanderers but needed some support. He found it in unlikely quarters
'You can get out every ball here' - Amla
The South Africa batsman has admitted that batsmen have not been able to settle in on the Wanderers' pitch for the ongoing Test, but would not be drawn into calling conditions extreme
Johannesburg: India's favourite venue for bowling
India's record at the Wanderers is an outlier when it comes to away touring
Let's not belittle the art of pitch-making
If South Africa manage to come out victorious on this pitch, you can imagine that India might ask for the wrestling pits of Haryana to be turned rectangular for cricket on their next tour
Day 1
South Africa ahead after 11-wicket day
Virat Kohli attacked with luck, Cheteshwar Pujara defended and defended solidly, both got fifties in tough batting conditions, but a lower-order collapse gave South Africa the upper hand as India went from 144 for 4 to 187 all out
Got to keep yourself motivated on the sidelines - Phehlukwayo
The allrounder wasn't a frontunner to play in this series, or in Tests at all; but he made a valuable contribution on the first day
Kohli's fire and Pujara's ice do the trick for India
On a pitch with copious amounts of seam movement, two very different batsmen did in large parts what comes naturally to them to lay a platform for India
Pujara: 53 balls, 0 runs
Also, in terms of average, it has been the India openers' worst series of three or more Tests ever
South Africa squeeze in the bad amidst all the good
South Africa might not have intended to step off the gas, but they might have. Just a little.
Others
Making the gloves a 'mattress'
How South Africa worked on extra padding for their batsmen on a difficult Wanderers track
An even contest between bat and ball is best. Ball dominating bat is second
Stats from South Africa v India: record-low scores, pretty 40s, and a keeper's dream
This win will be remembered for a long time - Kohli
India's captain felt vindicated in his assessment that India came close to winning in the first two Tests of this series after a "sweet" win in Johannesburg that he compared with Lord's 2014
No backing off from made-to-order pitches
The likelihood of sanctions against the Wanderers for the pitch it produced for the third Test against India will not deter South Africa from continuing to ask curators to prepare surfaces to favour their pace attack
'Wanderers has been a special venue for us' - Kohli
India's captain hopes his team can take inspiration from past deeds at the Bullring, particularly the Test match they dominated for large periods on their 2013-14 tour of South Africa
Johannesburg was terrific, but there are lessons for India to learn
India need to have the ambition to see this tour of South Africa as one of missed opportunities, and ensure they don't miss them again
De Kock the puzzle in South Africa's jigsaw
Nearly all the pieces are in place, but the wicketkeeper-batsman's form is a worry, particularly in a team that wants to play five bowlers
South Africa ponder all-pace attack at the Wanderers
On what is expected to be a spicy surface, the hosts could bench Keshav Maharaj and play either an extra batsman in Theunis de Bruyn or a seam-bowling allrounder in Andile Phehlukwayo
The pitch gives the physios a workout
In less than three days, the physios were called upon seven times to treat batsmen hurt by deliveries that misbehaved on the Wanderers pitch
Can India maintain their unbeaten Wanderers record?
India have never lost a Test in Johannesburg, and they have never been whitewashed in South Africa. Both those records are under threat as the hosts push for 3-0 with a green pitch and overcast conditions to aid them
