India vs South Africa, 4th Test, Day 5 - Highlights - Sports Around the Globe

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Monday, December 7, 2015

India vs South Africa, 4th Test, Day 5 - Highlights

India crushed South Africa by 337 runs and climbed to No. 2 in the ICC Test rankings at Delhi's Feroz Shah Kotla on Monday. Catch all the highlights here:

Highlights of fifth day of the fourth and final Test between India and South Africa from Feroz Shah Kotla

Post-match presentation ceremony:
We had to work very hard for this win. SA batsmen put their heads down. Told my bowlers, I want to win 3-0. It is a team game and all the guys deserve credit for keeping their energies up. South Africa tested our patiennce and our bowlers should be really proud of themselves. I believe a bowler is as good as you make them feel. Umesh has that extra zip - momentum is a big factor in international cricket: Virat Kohli, India captain

We knew we would be no. 2 in ICC rankings if we won this Test, so we were going for it. The way Jadeja bowled this series has been amazing and let's not forget what Umesh did today: R Ashwin, man-of-the-series
Dedicate this win to Chennai flood victims and Indian army. If I take care of my processes, the results will follow automatically: Ajinkya Rahane, man-of-the-match
We knew we had to bat and long to save this Test. Fantastic effort from AB de Villiers. We tried to take it as deep as possible and save the game. Unfortunately, we were completely outplayed in this series by India. Winning the T20 and ODI series was brilliant. Enjoyed our long tour of India. It was a tough series for our batsmen. Credit to our bowlers, who put their hands up: Hashim Amla, South Africa captain
South Africa 2nd innings: (Target 481)
15.14 IST: Highest scorer in the series: Ajinkya Rahane (266). Highest wicket-taker: R Ashwin (31)
15.12 IST: South Africa lost their last five wickets in 27 balls after a heroic resistance from Amla, de Villiers and du Plessis. The first five wickets lasted 124.2 overs.
15.11 IST: All India needed was to dismiss Amla and de Villiers. If both had been dismissed quickly, you would have seen a quicker end to the Test match, says Sunil Gavaskar.
15.10 IST: India's 337-run win is their highest margin of victory by runs.
15.05 IST: INDIA ARE NO.2 IN ICC TEST RANKINGS!
15.01 IST:WICKET! That's the end of that! Ashwin snares his fourth wicket and 32nd of the series. After a heroic resistance for two sessions today, the end came very quickly. South Africa are 143 all out and India win by 337 runs
14.58 IST:WICKET! Third one for Umesh Yadav. Piedt (1) has been caught sensationally by Saha behind the stumps. India just one wicket away from a massive win here
14.56 IST: Umesh had sounded very confident last evening when he declared South Africa would not be able to save this Test by just defending. He was at the risk of being proven wrong but his two wickets after tea have spelled doom for the visitors.
14.50 IST:WICKET! Umesh, you beauty. That was a sensational reverse swinging delivery and would have been unplayable for a top-order batsman. Kyle Abbott has been knocked over for a duck and there goes South Africa's resistance, all shattered
14.43 IST: WICKET! Wow! That's a big one - Ashwin has removed AB de Villiers, who stayed on for 297 balls for his 43. Sensational stuff from India as South Africa slip to 136/7
14.40 IST: WICKET! Umesh bowls the off-cutter and Villas has played on. This is just what India needed - a quick wicket after tea with the light fading. South Africa are 136/6
14.15 IST: TEA - South Africa 136/5. India need five more wickets to win 3-0 when play resumes in the final session of the series. Kudos to AB de Villiers for his firm resistance right through the day. Can he come up with some more fight after tea?
14.11 IST: Great news for South Africa, bad news for India. Lights are on. The natural light has deteriorated badly over the last 10 minutes.
14.09 IST: Ishant Sharma in the attack. Pace from both ends now. Time is running out very quickly here. Tea is just a few minutes away and South Africa will breathe easy if they can survive this phase without losing another wicket.
14.00 IST: If lights come into play and South Africa escape with a draw, they will have to thank Amla and de Villiers in no small measure. Also, do not forget the efforts of Bavuma last evening - he faced 117 balls. Faf du Plessis, who has had a horrid series, consumed 97 deliveries at a crucial juncture, stonewalling the Indian attack completely.
13.52 IST: India must be getting desperate now. De Villiers is still at the wicket because Kohli did not choose to deploy a forward short leg for Umesh Yadav. Besides, the light looks like it could deteriorate really fast today. They will have perhaps a maximum of 90 minutes after tea, lights permitting.
13.46 IST: AB de Villiers is getting hit on his body repeatedly by Umesh - the ball was in the air for a little while and Sunil Gavaskar is livid with the absence of a forward short leg again this time. AB is not on 43 off 280 balls.
13.39 IST: The Indian fielding unit is very charged up now that the spinners struck rapidly in the second session. They would feel a lot better with one more wicket before tea, preferably of AB de Villiers, who has been absolutely heroic in his efforts.
13.35 IST: AB de Villiers has taken 270 balls for his 39 - he will be key to South Africa's push for a draw. India need five more wickets. It could go down to the wire.
13.29 IST: Dane Villas is looking extremely vulnerable at the crease - Ashwin and Jadeja are bowling in tandem and suddenly has started to look like a wicket-taking delivery.
13.27 IST: This has been absorbing Test cricket - India trying to take 10 wickets, South Africa offering stern resistance. But suddenly, two wickets have fallen in quick time. India are smelling a win for sure - they would not have been very confident about 30 minutes back. All they need to do now is keep AB off strike for as long as possible and target a weak lower-order.
13.19 IST: WICKET! Ashwin bags his third of the innings and 29th of the series. He has trapped JP Duminy lbw with a beauty. South Africa 112/5 vs India. The Proteas resistance is crumbling here as de Villiers looks on helplessly. South Africa 112/5
13.05 IST: This will be a tough challenge for the left-handed JP Duminy, the new man in. Close-in fielders, the ball turning sharply now. What a waste it will be if South Africa lose from hereon. De Villiers has faced 251 balls, Amla faced 244 and even du Plessis ate up 97.
13.02 IST: WICKET! Another breakthrough from Jadeja. He has been relentless in his line and length on an unresponsive pitch. He removes du Plessis for 10, which took 97 balls to come. Is that the crack in the door India were looking for? South Africa 111/4
13.00 IST: Some turn and bounce from both Ashwin and Jadeja but there's still not enough in this pitch to really worry South Africa.
12.51 IST: This has been a testing phase for South Africa but de Villiers and du Plessis have done really well. The Test is beginning to look more and safe as time passes and the Indian fielders are getting visibly frustrated.
12.26 IST: This has been sensational resistance by South Africa. After Hashim Amla played out 244 balls, AB de Villiers has dropped anchor for the visitors, the same AB, who took only 75 balls to hammer a hundred against India in Centurion in 2010/11.
12.16 IST: Play resumes after lunch and India start with pace. Kohli obviously wants his fast bowlers to create some rough patches on the surface because the turn is really slow. There has been nothing to threaten the South African batsmen, who have looked remarkably comfortable in their blockathon.
11.33 IST: LUNCH: South Africa can be happy of what they achieved in this morning session - they lost just that one wicket of Hashim Amla as du Plessis joined forces with de Villiers in a blocking marathon. India's bowlers have been impressive but they have been completely stonewalled.
11.30 IST: Another nasty one from Umesh. And it catches AB unawares again.No forward short-leg - that would have been an easy catch for him.
11.26 IST: Ouch! That would have hurt. Umesh Yadav got some awkward bounce and de Villiers wears on the bottom hand. He drops his bat immediately. Physio on the field. The South African dressing-room is worried. They need AB to continue. Good thing lunch is round the corner.
11.22 IST: Just a few minutes to go for lunch. This has been fantastic resistance by the Proteas.
11.07 IST: Is this the phase when Virat Kohli would start to get worried? There is turn on this pitch but it's really, really slow. Ashwin and Jadeja, the two leading wicket-takers in this series, are bowling in tandem but they seem frustrated with South Africa's resilience.
11.02 IST: This has been a largely successful session for South Africa so far. Runs are not part of their plans now but the blocking marathon has continued to keep India at bay. After Jadeja broke through with the new ball, de Villiers and du Plessis have dropped anchor in their bid to push for a draw.
10.50 IST: Back in November, 2012, de Villiers and du Plessis were involved in a stubborn resistance against Australia at the Adelaide Oval. Chasing 430 to win the second Test of the three-match series, they were reduced to 45/4 before the duo batted out over 60 overs, scoring only 89 runs in their partnership. More importantly, it ate up crucial time and led to a draw. Du Plessis remained unbeaten on 110 off 376 balls when play was called off. Today, he's on a pair and he has had a torrid time this series. Can he do it here for his team one more time?
10.28 IST: Jadeja continues. Du Plessis on strike. 
Faf du Plessis walks in to join de Villiers in the middle. Can he join the blocking marathon? Despite his blocking credentials, his recent form should give the Indian bowlers a lot of heart. 
10.20 IST: OUT. The blocking marathon is over, finally. Jadeja snares Amla. Jadeja was getting a lot of bite since he got the new ball. This time the drift and a little bit of turn has beaten Amla. What a knock from the South African skipper. He is dissapointed. The Indians are ecstatic.  SA 76/3.

10.10 IST: Jadeja is getting some bite off the pitch with the new ball. Kohli has packed the off side with close-in fielders. SA 76/2. 
So it's Ashwin with the new ball? He loves the shining red cherry.  Ashwin bowls a decent first over and flights a lot. After seeing Mohali and Nagpur tracks, it's tough to imagine the ball is only doing this much on the final day at the Kotla. 
10.07 IST: And finally it's Jadeja into the attack. He has two slips, a short cover and a short leg.  The new ball has been taken.
Kohli is trying different things. It might work sometimes. But Amla and de Villiers are extremely focussed here. 
10.05 IST: Now it's 8. Cheteshwar Pujara into the attack. He was seen rolling his arms at the short leg. He is bowling leg spinners. SA 76/2.
10.00 IST: Skipper Kohli into the attack. He wants to break the Amla-de Villiers stand himself. India have so far used 7 bowlers in this innings.
9.52 IST: Amla and de Villiers are continuing their block-block strategy. There is no bat lift from the South African skipper; showed dead bat against Umesh. The duo has scored 2 runs in the first five overs of the day. How long can South Africa survive with this strategy? SA 74/4. 

Pitch report
"The pitch has slowed down," says Sunil Gavaskar. He insists the Indian bowlers to be patient and keep hunting. "The spinners have to bowl full," he adds.
"The pitch has slowed down as you would expect when you're into day 5. There are a few marks made by the bowlers' followthrough as well as the landing of the ball. The spinners need to bowl fuller to utilize these areas. It will be another day of patience," says Gavaskar's report. 
Preview: 
Indian bowlers will look to break the South African stonewall on Monday morning. Early wickets are crucial against the threatening South African top-ordrer who are capable of a big blockathon. 
On Sunday at the Kotla, South Africa made a determined bid to salvage a draw after Ajinkya Rahane set up the match for India with a century in each innings in the fourth and final Test.
South Africa's runs came at a snail's pace as they reached 72 for 2 at stumps on the fourth day, chasing an improbable target of 481 after India declared at 267 for 5. Captain Hashim Amla scored 23 not out off 207 deliveries and AB de Villiers 11 not out from 91 as South Africa batted for 72 overs. South Africa, who are playing for pride after conceding a decisive 2-0 lead in the series, needs to bat out another full day for the draw.
Amla took 46 deliveries to get off the mark on a pitch that seemed to play slower than it did at the start of the Test, while AB de Villiers scored his first run off the 33rd ball he faced.
South Africa can't save the Test just by defending, says Umesh Yadav
Umesh Yadav expressed his surprise at the ultra-defensive strategy employed by the South African batsmen in the fourth and final Test but reminded them that one cannot last an entire fifth day by "just blocking" deliveries.

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