Player of the Match
Player of the Match

Day 4

Day 3

2493dThe Report by Sidharth Monga in Johannesburg

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

Day 2

Day 1

2494dThe Report by Sidharth Monga in Johannesburg

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

Others

2491dSidharth Monga in Johannesburg

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

2491dFirdose Moonda at the Wanderers

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

2491dFirdose Moonda in Johannesburg

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

2491dSidharth Monga in Johannesburg

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

2492dFirdose Moonda in Johannesburg

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

2492dSidharth Monga and Firdose Moonda in Johannesburg

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

2495dSidharth Monga in Johannesburg

'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

2492dSidharth Monga in Johannesburg

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

2493dFirdose Moonda in Johannesburg

'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

2490dFirdose Moonda

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

2493dSidharth Monga in Johannesburg

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

2494dBharath Seervi

Pujara: 53 balls, 0 runs

Also, in terms of average, it has been the India openers' worst series of three or more Tests ever

2491dSidharth Monga in Johannesburg

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

2495dFirdose Moonda in Johannesburg

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

2495dFirdose Moonda in Johannesburg

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

2492dESPNcricinfo staff

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

2495dThe Preview by Sidharth Monga in Johannesburg

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

2nd-innings Shami

12

Wickets for Shami in the 2nd innings of this series, average 8.75. In the 1st innings, 3 wickets at 50.33

Elgar stands alone

3

Instances of SA openers carrying their bats in Tests since their readmission - Kirsten made 100* v Pakistan, 1997, and Elgar made 118* v Eng, 2015

Amla in control

84.2

Amla's in-control percentage in his knock of 52, the best among all batsmen in the Test. KL Rahul had a control % of 84.1 and Vijay 80.3 in India's 2nd innings

Rare century stands

3

Century partnerships in the series, all for SA: de Villiers-Elgar in Centurion, de Villiers-du Plessis in Cape Town and Amla-Elgar in Jo'burg

Fivers at Wanderers

4

No. of five-wicket hauls by India bowlers at the Wanderers in Johannesburg - their most at any venue in South Africa. Kumble, Srinath, Sreesanth and Bumrah are the ones with five-fors there.

Rabada's resistence

2

Kagiso Rabada has played his top-two longest Test innings in this series - 66 balls in first innings in Cape Town and 84 balls in first innings of this Test.

A mini collapse

43

Runs for which India lost their last six wickets, after being 144 for 4. Except Pujara, Kohli and Bhuveshwar none of them could get into double-digits.

A fifty finally

11

No. of consecutive innings without a fifty by Pujara outside Asia, before this match. His last fifty outside Asia was 73 against Australia at Adelaide. This is only his 5th 50+ score in 34 innings.

Pujara's crawl

54

No. of balls taken by Pujara to score his first run in this innings. Since 2001, only one player has taken more balls to open his account: Stuart Broad 61 balls v NZ, Auckland, 2013.

Flop show

12.30

Average of India's openers in this series - the lowest in any series of 3 or more Tests. In 10 innings between Vijay, Dhawan and Rahul they have played just one inns of 20+ runs.

Unbeaten

0

No. of losses for India at the Wanderers, in their previous four Tests. They won one, in 2006-07, and drawn three.