Shami five-fer helps India script famous win

India added another chapter to their remarkable record at the Wanderers as they overcame some stubborn resistance from Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla to wrap up a famous victory over South Africa in the third Test at the Wanderers. After watching the game slip through their fingers over the first half of the day as the two batsmen put on a 119-run stand for the second wicket, the tourists came roaring back to clinch the match by 63 runs.

On a pitch that showed few of the tumultuous signs it exhibited on the third day, when it was at risk of being labeled 'unfit' by the match officials, South Africa looked set for a sensational comeback before losing their last nine wickets for just 53 runs to be bowled out for 177. Elgar was left stranded on 86 after facing 240 largely testing deliveries, carrying his bat for the second time in Test cricket. The left-hander is known for gutsy innings', but this will rate up among the best of them even if it was Mohammed Shami who decided the match with his third Test five-wicket haul.

Another dramatic day of swings and roundabouts was a deserving way for the series to end, given that every one of the three Tests has pendulumed throughout.

But it seemed a distant prospect when Elgar and Amla batted out the morning session without any cause for alarm. After all the concerns about the state of the pitch on Friday night, the surface played more or less like a normal Wanderers wicket as the duo added 52 runs in 19.3 overs after the start of play was delayed by an hour due to a wet outfield. South Africa had requested the heavy roller prior to the day's play, and it appeared to have worked in their favour by squeezing some of the cracks back together.

At 69 for one, South Africa had reduced the number of runs required to 172, and with no obvious spite in the pitch the task appeared well within their means. After lunch a few deliveries began misbehaving, with Elgar hit on the gloves by Jasprit Bumrah as well as being beaten three times in a row by the right-armer. But both batsmen rode out the tricky spell to reach hard-earned fifties, and extended their partnership into three figures.

When the hosts reached 124 for one with another 28 overs to go to the second new ball, the platform was perfectly set for a famous win. But Ishant Sharma broke the stand as Amla was out to the second flick off his pads in the match. This time he picked out Hardik Pandya at short midwicket, where the fielder took a sharp catch.

Once Amla was gone for 52, none of the South African batsmen could get in. AB de Villiers was uneasy against Bumrah from the start, and fell to the seamer for the third time in the series when he edged to Ajinkya Rahane at gully. South Africa were still favourites when they went to tea on 136 for three, but in the third session India roared to victory.

After struggling against Bumrah in one over, the next one saw Ishant get one to tail into the right-hander and keep a touch low to bowl the South African captain off his pads. Quinton de Kock capped a horribly forgettable series with the bat with a golden duck as he was trapped plumb in front by Bumrah, and the match was settled soon when Mohammed Shami bowled Vernon Philander and Andile Phehlukwayo in the same over.

With 84 still to get and seven wickets down, Elgar had run out of partners. A sizeable Wanderers crowd had come in as the weather cleared with the hope of cheering their team to victory, but they were increasingly silenced. With Bhuvneshwar Kumar remaining the final obstacle in Kagiso Rabada, it was left to Shami to administer the last rites - after a final cameo partnership between Elgar and Lungi Ngidi - as he finished with figures of 5 for 28.

The result left clear daylight between the two sides on the rankings table. While South Africa could have drawn level on points if they had won the Test, India will now remain on top for the foreseeable future. After the manner in which they overcame the odds and an at-times treacherous pitch at the Wanderers - without complaint - few will dispute their position.

Brief scores: India 187 (Virat Kohli 54; Kagiso Rabada 3-39) & 247 (Ajinkya Rahane 48; Morne Morkel 3-47) beat South Africa 194 (Hashim Amla 61; Jasprit Bumrah 5-54) & 177 (Dean Elgar 86*; Mohammed Shami 5-28) by 63 runs