After going 1-0 down in the 3-match Test series, the hosts South Africa did an exceptional job to claim the series, once again beating India in the longest format of the game.
They deserve more credit than they were without their experienced man Quinton de Kock who retired after the first Test. India were batting first and scored 223 in the first innings, courtesy of a vital 79. The hosts then replied with 210, with India taking a 13-run lead. Jasprit Bumrah picked a fifer.
Rishabh Pant scored an unbeaten ton as India were bundled up for 198 in the second innings. As a result, South Africa had to chase 212 to clinch the series. With Keegan Petersen, Dean Elgar, and Temba Bavuma's composed knocks, South Africa clinched the third Test with 7 wickets.
Let's have a look at the records broken in the third Test.
The Protean dominance continues!
# South Africa have now won seven series (1992/93, 1996/97, 2001/02, 2006/07, 2013/14, 2017/18, 2021/22) and drawn one series (2010/11) against India at home.
Rishabh Pant's heroics
Rishabh Pant finally produced a knock that the Indians were expecting of him, scoring an unbeaten 100 in the second innings on the third day. The 24-year old scored his fourth Test century, third away from home, and first against South Africa.
# He also became the first Indian wicket-keeper to score a ton against the Proteas and that means he now also has the most runs in an innings scored by an Indian wicket-keeper against South Africa.
# Pant also became the first Asian wicket-keeper to score a Test century in the Rainbow Nation.
# Rishabh Pant also became the first Indian wicket-keeper to score third tons outside Asia, surpassing the likes of Vijay Manjrekar, Wriddhiman Saha, and Ajay Ratra who have a ton each.
Marco Jansen: The gem of the Series
Jansen turned out to be very influential for the Proteas as he ended the series with the second-highest wickets. In his debut series, he picked 19 wickets.
# Jansen now has the most wickets for South Africa in a debut series, breaking Shaun Pollock's record of 16 wickets in 1995/96 against England.
Kagiso Rabada: Mr.Consistent
Kagiso Rabada ended the series as the highest wicket-taker with 20 wickets.
# Kagiso Rabada managed to pick the joint-second-most wickets for the Proteas in a Test series against India in their backyard since Allan Donald in 1992/93 and 1996/97.
Any guesses on the player with the most wickets? Well, it's Dale Steyn, the Steyn-gun with 21 wickets.
Kohli shows glimpses of his past
# Kohli scored his 28th Test 50 in the first innings, which was also his highest score since December 2020 when he scored 74 against Australia.
# 79 in this Test was also his second-slowest 50 (158 balls) in Test cricket, the first being against England in 2013 (171 balls).
Jasprit Bumrah showing character!
# Jasprit Bumrah's five-for in the first innings meant that it was his seventh in Test cricket, the joint-most since his Test debut with West Indies' Jason Holder and New Zealand's Tim Southee.
India: A team record
# India became the first-ever side to have lost all 20 wickets as catches ones in a Test match. The previous five instances of 19 dismissals are as follows: England vs Australia in 1982/83, Pakistan vs Australia in 2009/10, India vs South Africa in 2010/11, England vs Australia in 2013/14, and South Africa vs England in 2019/20.
Keegan Petersen: A vital Proteas asset
# Petersen ended the series with the most runs, scoring 276 runs in 3 Tests, an average of 46 and 3 50s.
The first and the worst
# India lost their first Test under Kohli while defending a target in excess of 139.
A rare one!
# Rishabh Pant has become the only Indian to score a Test century in a team total below 200.
Not the 71st but 99.
# Kohli registered his 99th 50+ score in international cricket as a skipper, playing his 99th Test.
Which one was your favorite? Let us know! Stay tuned with Cricwizz for more updates.
