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
India couldn't dismiss Dean Elgar at all, but found a way around him to complete their third Test win in South Africa
Twitter reactions to India's Test win over South Africa on a spicy track in Johannesburg
They achieved the series victory, but having the final Test taken off them will hurt Faf du Plessis' side for some time to come
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
The match referee will not compromise the safety of the players. If it continues to behave dangerously, the match could still be called off
Although it was bowlers' series, Dean Elgar recorded the third instance of a South African batsman carrying his bat
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
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
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
All the talking points from the third day at the Wanderers, which was marked by inconsistent bounce and batsmen getting hit on the body
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
On a highly uncertain third-day surface, India's batsmen stared the devil in the eye and bore everything it threw at them
Was the pitch put out for the Johannesburg Test dangerous to the players' well being? The cricket world has its say
He went past Sunil Gavaskar and MS Dhoni to take the record
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
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
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
The India fast bowler reflected on the importance of discipline and simplicity on a bowler-friendly wicket like the one at Wanderers
Hashim Amla put on a special act at the Wanderers but needed some support. He found it in unlikely quarters
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
India's record at the Wanderers is an outlier when it comes to away touring
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
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
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
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
Also, in terms of average, it has been the India openers' worst series of three or more Tests ever
South Africa might not have intended to step off the gas, but they might have. Just a little.
How South Africa worked on extra padding for their batsmen on a difficult Wanderers track
Stats from South Africa v India: record-low scores, pretty 40s, and a keeper's dream
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
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
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
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
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
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
In less than three days, the physios were called upon seven times to treat batsmen hurt by deliveries that misbehaved on the Wanderers pitch
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