India have closed a historic Test win at the SuperSport Park in Centurion, beating South Africa by 113 runs to win their first Test match at the venue, on Day 5 of the series-opener.
With this win, India have also taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
The visitors started the day needing six wickets for victory and picked up three scalps – including the big wickets of Dean Elgar and Quinton de Kock – to go into the Lunch break at 182/7. Elgar, the Proteas skipper, had been putting up a valiant fight before Bumrah trapped him lbw on 77.
Returning from Lunch, the Indian bowlers needed just two overs to pick up the remaining three wickets and close the win. The hosts were bowled out for 191 with Bumrah and Shami picking three wickets each and Ashwin and Siraj claiming two apiece.
Resuming Day 5 from 94/4 under a clear bright sky, Bavuma and Dean Elgar struck crisply-timed boundaries to keep India frustrated. Mohammed Shami dropped Elgar on 63 in a straightforward chance off his own bowling, further extending the wait of a breakthrough for the tourists.
Shami's dropped chance cost India only 14 runs as the 36-run partnership was brought to an end by Jasprit Bumrah trapping Elgar plumb lbw. The left-handed batter shuffled in an attempt to flick but missed the in-ducker from Bumrah which crashed to his pads. He went for the review, but replays showed the ball hitting the stumps.
Quinton de Kock smashed some boundaries while sharing a stand of 31 with Bavuma before chopping onto his stumps while trying to cut off Siraj. Shami struck in his second spell of the session, getting a length ball to straighten after pitching and take a faint outer edge of Wiaan Mulder's bat to keeper Rishabh Pant.
Bavuma lost partners but continued to hit boundaries. Along with Marco Jansen, Bavuma ensured that South Africa didn't lose any other wicket till lunch arrived.
On the other side of the break, Marco Jansen began by taking two boundaries off Mohammed Shami. But on the fifth ball, Shami had the last laugh as he drew Jansen to defend on the front foot but nicked behind to keeper Rishabh Pant.
Ravichandran Ashwin took the first wicket by a spinner in the match, offering Kagiso Rabada flight outside the off-stump. Rabada reached out for a drive but the outer edge flew to Shami at backward point. On the very next ball, Ashwin sealed India's win in just 10 minutes of the second session as Lungi Ngidi inner-edged to Cheteshwar Pujara at backward short leg.
South Africa started on the overnight score 94/4 after India were bowled out for 174 earlier on Day 4 and set the home team a 305-run target.
Mohammed Shami made the early breakthrough as he set-up Markram with two away-swinging deliveries and finally completed the set-up by having the right-hander withdraw his bat late, thereby chopping on to the stumps. Keegan Petersen and captain Dean Elgar survived against the new-ball pair of Shami and Bumrah till Mohammed Siraj claimed Petersen with an outswinger, taking the outer edge to keeper Rishabh Pant's right.
It took a peach of a nip-backer from Bumrah to hit the top of off-stump as van der Dussen shouldered his arms, breaking a stubborn stand. Elgar marched on to bring his half-century with a clip through square leg off Siraj. Bumrah put India on top at the end of day four with a perfect yorker to rattle nightwatchman Keshav Maharaj's stumps.
Earlier, Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen took four wickets each to bowl out India for 174 in the second innings. Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant's quick knock of 34 was the top score in India's second innings while Rabada and Jansen took figures of 4/42 and 4/55 respectively.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)