Day 3 in Stats: Ashwin’s Fifer Restricts South Africa’s Comeback

At stumps, South Africa were at 385/8, trailing India by 117 runs.

Dean Elgar (160) and Quinton de Kock (111) scored centuries on Day 3 of the first Test between India and South Africa at Visakhapatnam, but R Ashwin finished with his 27th fifer to bring the hosts right back into the game on Friday, 4 October.

At stumps, South Africa's score read 385/8 with debutant Senuran Muthusamy (12) and Keshav Maharaj (3) at the crease. The Proteas still trail by 117 runs with just two wickets in hand.

Here’s a look at the big numbers and records from Day 3 of the India vs South Africa Test at Vizag.

• Ravindra Jadeja became the 10th Indian bowler to complete 200 wickets in Tests, joining Anil Kumble (619), Kapil Dev (434), Harbhajan Singh (417), Ravichandran Ashwin (347), Zaheer Khan (311), Ishant Sharma (279), Bishan Singh Bedi (266), Bhagwat Chandrasekhar (242) and Javagal Srinath (236).
  
• Jadeja's distinction, of reaching the milestone in 44 Tests, is the fastest by a left-armer. In all, he is the second fastest Indian bowler after Ashwin (37 Tests).

• Ashwin has recorded his 27th instance of five wickets or more in an innings in 66 Tests – the second highest by an Indian bowler next only to Kumble's 35 in 132 Tests.
  
• Ashwin enjoys an outstanding record against South Africa in Tests – his tally being 43 wickets at 18.51 runs apiece, including five 5-wicket hauls in eight Tests.  Ashwin remains the first Indian bowler to bag five instances of five wickets or more in an innings against South Africa. Of his seven instances, of 10 wickets or more in a Test, one has been recorded by him against South Africa.
  
• Jadeja has become the fifth Indian all-rounder to manage 1,500 runs or more and bagged 200 wickets or more in Tests, joining Kapil, Kumble, Ashwin and Harbhajan.
  
• Dean Elgar's innings of 160 is the second highest by a South African opener in a Test innings in India, behind the 163 by Andrew Hall at Kanpur in November 2004.
  
• Elgar's first century against India is his 12th in Tests. His fantastic knock is his second hundred in twelve Tests in the subcontinent. In 2014, against Sri Lanka at Galle, he had scored 103.

• Sixteen sixes by openers in the present Test are the most in a Test match, eclipsing the 14 sixes each recorded by openers in the 2014-15 Test between New Zealand and Pakistan at Sharjah and the 2015 Test between Pakistan and Bangladesh at Khulna.
  
• Quinton de Kock's batting record against India in international cricket – Tests, ODIs and T20Is – is simply marvellous; his tally being 713 in 12 innings, including three centuries and three fifties at a strike rate of 106.73.
  
• De Kock has recorded his fifth century in Tests. His first century on Indian soil is his second in 17 Tests away from home.
  
• He became the second South African wicketkeeper to record a century against India. Abraham de Villiers had registered 103 at Johannesburg in December 2013.