Nagpur Test: R Ashwin leads India to historic series win against SA

NagpurRavichandran Ashwin displayed his magic yet again to record a careerbest figures of 766 as India clinched the fourmatch series against South Africa by taking an unassailable 20 lead with an emphatic 124run win in the third cricket TestSpinning a web of deceit Ashwin had a superb match haul of 12 for 98 while leg spinner Amit Mishra claimed 3 for 51 as the hosts shot out the visitors for 185 in 895 overs in the second innings to wrap up the match 52 minutes after the tea sessionR Ashwin celebrates with Ajinkya Rahane Pic AFPThis was also Virat Kohlis first Test series win as a captain on home soil and also marked an end to South Africas track record of not losing a Test series away from home for nine long yearsSouth Africa needed to score 310 to score for a series levelling win but woefully fell short of the target unable to negotiate the Indian spin threat led by 29yearold Ashwin who completed his 4th 10wicket haul in a match in his 31st Test Ashwins second innings victims included three left handers the opening duo of Dean Elgar Stiaan van Zyl and JeanPaul Duminy apart from the prize wicket of AB de Villiers the visitors most successful batsman on this visitHashim Amla plays a shot as Kohli looks on Pic AFPHe fittingly took the last wicket by clean bowling last man Morne Morkel through the gate in his final devastating spell of 4 for 16 in 19 balls However it was Mishra who got the important breakthrough in the second session to break the stubborn 72 run fifth wicket stand between rival captain Hashim Amla 39 and Faf du Plessis 39 the visitors highest of the match after their capitulation for their lowestever total against India of 79 in the first inningsMishra got rid of Amla to end the partnership and also packed off du Plessis soon afterwards before Ashwin polished off the tail with the second new ball in a devastating spell With India winning at Mohali and Nagpur and the game in Bengaluru being washed out the teams will play the inconsequential final Test at Delhis Feroz Shah Kotla from December 3The loss also ended South Africas enviable nineyear away record without a series defeat They had last lost to Sri Lanka 02 in 2006 and then were undefeated in 14 rubbers since then till todays reversal against IndiaThe visitors stared a tough task going into the third day on a turning track starting the day at 32 for 2 needing to score 278 more runsThe only time they showed some gumption was when Amla and du Plessis defied the home attack from the first hour of the prelunch session till the end of the first hour after the breakBut once it was breached by Mishra when he got rid of Amla it was a question of time for India to race to victory Mishras twin blows in six balls in successive overs in the second hour after lunch to send back both rival captain Hashim Amla 39 and Faf du Plessis 39 and bring the home team closer to victory after the fifth wicket duo stonewalled for seven minutes under three hours in adding 72 runsSouth African batsman Faf du Plessis bowled by Indian bowler Amit Mishra during the third day of the 3rd test match in Nagpur Maharashtra on Friday PicPTIThe pair who came together in the first hour before lunch held on till the second hour after the break by defending stoutly against the spinning ball before Mishra broke the stand by dismissing Amla with a classical leg break to have the rival skipper caught by a leaping home team captain Virat Kohli at short gullyAmla who had scored 253 at this ground for a winning cause five years ago but has been woefully out of form on this tour had kept the Indians at bay for 219 minutes and hit just 2 fours in his 167ball knockDu Plessis who showed admirable patience till his skippers departure lost it five balls later when he played an illadvised pull shot to a ball that kept low from Mishra and clean bowled himThese two dismissals have reduced whatever little hopes the visitors had of reaching the faraway target and keep the series alive even on a pitch that still aided spin but seemed to have lost some venom of the first two daysThe home teams bowlers were kept at bay by the stone walling tactics of Amla and Du Plessis resulting in the post lunch hour of play producing a measly 21 runs in 19 overs The duo in the process came up with the longest partnership of the series overtaking the one between Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara in the series opener at MohaliDu Plessis having been let off once in the first session survived a close call early on in the second session He was struck on the pad by Ashwin in the first over after resumption and the strong appeal by the Indians was turned down Ashwin changed ends and started bowling from the pavilion end but started bowling a bit fast and did not trouble batsmen with defensive mindset to the extent that they did earlier on a track that has slowed down a bitJadeja and Mishra could also not make much of an impression on the two batsmen intent on defense eschewing risks The duo had batted together for seven minutes under three hours when Mishra produced a looping leg break to catch the edge of Amlas defensive bat This was the break that the hosts wanted after the show of defiance and came only in the second hour of the post lunch session and Mishras figures read an impressive 3 for 40 at tea his first wicket having come yesterday in the form of night watchman Imran TahirIn the morning chasing the formidable victory target of 310 set by the hosts last evening to stay alive in the series the visitors slumped to 58 for four losing two second innings wickets this morning to the two conceded yesterday before showing some fight to take the visitors to lunch at 105 for 4 Ashwin was the lone Indian bowler to taste success in the morning by accounting for the two wickets to fall overnight not out batsman Dean Elgar for 18 and the visitors major hope AB de Villiers for 9 in the space of 18 balls with classical off spinners thought processThe Tamil Nadu offspinners first spell of the day was an impressive 50152 before he finished with 3 for 50 at teaLater India could have sent back Amla who had notched 253 at this venue in 2010 when South Africa emerged winners by an innings as well as du Plessis too as both were given lives by the fieldersIshant coming on for a second spell got du Plessis 5 out of 79 for 4 to edge between the keeper and slip fielder and then Amla 23 out of 83 for 4 drove at Mishra expansively and Rahane could not pouch the low catch in slipsThe duo then took the team to lunch without being separated with Du Plessis even hitting a six off Ravindra Jadejas leftarm spin