India spin Proteas to ‘defeat’ in first Test – South Africa 56-5 chasing 218 – run target

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India’s Wriddhiman Saha (right), bats with South African wicketkeeper Dane Vilas (left), and Dean Elgar fielding during the third day of their first cricket Test match in Mohali, India on Nov 7. (AP)
India’s Wriddhiman Saha (right), bats with South African wicketkeeper Dane Vilas (left), and Dean Elgar fielding during the third day of their first cricket Test match in Mohali, India on Nov 7. (AP)

MOHALI, India, Nov 7, (AFP): India’s spinners tied South Africa’s batsmen in knots to give the hosts a 108- run victory in the bowlerdominated first Test in Mohali on Saturday. Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja grabbed five wickets and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took three as the Proteas, set a victory target of 218, were shot out for 109 after tea on the third day.

Both bowlers finished with eight wickets in the low-scoring match played on a dusty, dry pitch at the I.S. Bindra Stadium, with the Indian spinners claiming 19 of the 20 South African scalps. The Proteas were reduced to 60-6 before Stiaan van Zyl, who topscored with 36, and Simon Harmer (11) got together to put on 42 for the seventh wicket. Seven batsmen failed to reach double figures, leaving the topranked South Africans a lot to ponder ahead of the second Test in the four-match series which starts in Bangalore on Nov 14.

Earlier, South African spinners Harmer and Imran Tahir claimed four wickets each to rip through India’s batting in the morning session. India, who started the third day at 125-2 in their second innings, moved to 161-2 before a batting meltdown saw them lose their last eight wickets for 39 runs. South Africa fared worse when they batted a second time on a wicket that has proved to be a batsman’s nightmare. The gamble to open the batting with tailender Vernon Philander backfired when the fast bowler was leg-before to Jadeja for one in the second over.

Ashwin, who had taken five wickets in the first innings, struck in the third over as Faf du Plessis edged an easy catch to Ajinkya Rahane in the slips. From 9-2, the Proteas became 32-4 as Jadeja bowled skipper Hashim Amla for no score and star batsman AB de Villiers (16) also found his stumps shattered by legspinner Amit Mishra. The wickets continued to tumble as opener Dean Elgar (16) topedged an intended pull off seamer Varun Aaron and spooned an easy catch to Indian captain Virat Kohli at mid-on.

In the morning, the loss of three top-order batsmen in the space of three runs triggered India’s collapse even though the Proteas fielded without their injured pace spearhead Dale Steyn. The overnight pair of Cheteshwar Pujara and Kohli batted through the first hour to take their third wicket stand to 66 runs. Medium-pacer van Zyl, the sixth bowler summoned by Amla, broke the threatening partnership soon after the drinks interval by having Kohli caught behind for 29. Pujara himself fell two overs later for 77, edging leg-spinner Tahir’s first delivery to Amla in the slips.

South Africa gained another wicket in the next over when Rahane was caught smartly at short-leg by substitute fielder Temba Bavuma off Harmer. The off-spinner earned two more quick wickets to reduce India to 182-7 as he trapped Jadeja legbefore for eight and had Amit Mishra caught at backward squareleg for two. Tahir had Ashwin caught in the slips off the last ball before lunch and then terminated the innings after the break by having Wriddhiman Saha caught behind for 20. The tourists took the field without Steyn, who was sidelined for the entire innings due to a groin strain.

India vs South Africa Scoreboard

MOHALI, India, Nov 7, (AFP): Final scoreboard on the third day of the first Test between India and South Africa at the IS Bindra stadium in Mohali on Saturday:

INDIA 1st innings: 201 (M. Vijay 75, R. Jadeja 38, D. Elgar 4-22)

SOUTH AFRICA 1st innings: 184 (AB de Villiers 63, H. Amla 43, R. Ashwin 5-51)

INDIA 2nd innings (overnight 125-2):
M. Vijay c sub (Bavuma) b Tahir ………47
S. Dhawan c de Villiers b Philander ……0
C. Pujara c Amla b Tahir………………….77
V. Kohli c Vilas b van Zy………………… 29
A. Rahane c sub (Bavuma) b Harmer…2
W. Saha c Vilas b Tahir …………………..20
R. Jadeja lbw b Harmer…………………….8
A. Mishra c du Plessis b Harmer………..2
R. Ashwin c Amla b Tahir…………………..3
U. Yadav b Harmer…………………………..1
V. Aaron not out……………………………….1
Extras: (b9, lb1) ……………………………..10
Total (all out, 75.3 overs)……………….200

Fall of wickets: 1-9 (Dhawan), 2-95 (Vijay), 3-161 (Kohli), 4-164 (Pujara), 5-164 (Rahane), 6-178 (Jadeja), 7-182 (Mishra), 8-185 (Ashwin), 9-188 (Yadav), 10-200 (Saha).

Bowling: Philander 12-3-23-1; Harmer 24-5-61-4; Elgar 7-1-34-0; Tahir 16.3-1-48-4; Rabada 12-7-19-0; van Zyl 4-1-5-1.

SOUTH AFRICA 2nd innings:
D. Elgar c Kohli b Aaron………………….16
V. Philander lbw b Jadeja ………………….1
F. du Plessis c Rahane b Ashwin ……….1
H. Amla b Jadeja ……………………………..0
AB de Villiers b Mishra ……………………16
S. van Zyl c Rahane b Ashwin …………36
D. Vilas b Jadeja ……………………………..7
S. Harmer c Rahane b Jadeja ………….11
D. Steyn c Vijay b Ashwin …………………2
K. Rabada not out ……………………………1
Imran Tahir lbw b Jadeja …………………..4
Extras: (b8, lb5, w1) ……………………….14

Total (all out, 39.5 overs)……………….109
Fall of wickets: 1-8 (Philander), 2-9 (duPlessis), 3-10 (Amla), 4-32 (de Villiers), 5-45 (Edgar), 6-60 (Vilas), 7-102 (Harmer), 8-102 (van Zyl), 9-105 (Steyn), 10-109 (Tahir)

Bowling: Ashwin 14-5-39-3; Jadeja 11.5-4-21-5; Mishra 8-0-26-1; Aaron 3-0-3-1 (w1); Yadav 3-0-7-0
India won by 108 runs; lead 1-0 in four-Test series.

Toss: India

Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena (SRI) and Richard Kettleborough (ENG) TV umpire: Vineet Kulkarni (IND) Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL)

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