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4th Test: India vs South Africa - As it happened...
India have won the four-match series 3-0 with a thumping win at Feroz Shah Kotla.
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Amla and de Villiers deserve a lot of credit since they managed to take the match into its final day. But once Jadeja removed Amla in the first session, the massive partnership was broken and despite AB's valiant effort, India have emerged victorious.
Over 143.1 | Score 143/10
It's all over for South Africa! India have won the match by 337 runs. South African batsmen collapsed like a pack of cards after the dismissal of AB de Villiers. For the records, Ashwin has claimed yet another 5-wicket haul.
M Morkel b Ashwin 2 (6b)
DL Piedt c Saha b Yadav 1 (11b)
KJ Abbott b Yadav 0 (7b)
AB de Villiers c Jadeja b Ashwin 43 (297b)
Over 140 | Score 140/7
Ashwin ended AB's marathon knock. His vicious off-spinner took off after pitching. AB, moving across, could not keep the ball down. It clipped his gloves and popped into the hands of Jadeja at leg slip. Kotla erupts.
AB de Villiers c Jadeja b Ashwin 43 (297b)
Over 139 | Score 136/6
Umesh gave India a crucial breakthrough immediately after tea. His offcutter was played on by Vilas on to the stumps. That brought Abbott to the crease.
DÂ Vilas b Yadav 13 (50b)
Over 138 | Score 136/5
Time for tea.
Kohli and company needs five wickets with one session to go. Safe to say this last Test has been the most engaging of the lot. Can India pull off a famous win or will AB take SA to safety?
Over 136 | Score 135/5
AB's innings: 43 (288b 6x4 0x6)
The man has shown a new facet of his batting in the 2nd innings. Surely the most complete batsman in world cricket. Switches gears with ease. Delight to watch him!
Over 132 | Score 131/5
Vilas and AB have put on 19 runs for the sixth wicket. The latter stands between a defeat and a famous draw for SA.
Over 127 | Score 116/5
Ashwin trappd Duminy LBW for a duck. Pressure builds on AB as he is joined by Vilas in the middle.
JP Duminy lbw b Ashwin 0 (12b)
Over 121 | Score 111/4
Jadeja finally broke the AB-Faf stand. The left-arm spinner trapped the latter LBW to bring smiles on the faces of fans at the Kotla. Faf played 97 deliveries for his 10 runs. JP Duminy is the new man in.
F du Plessis lbw b Jadeja 10 (97b)
Over 111 | Score 100/3
AB and Faf continued from where they left off in the post lunch session. The 'blockathon' continues. Nothing seems to be working for the Indian bowlers. Ishant tried his luck from around the wicket to no avail. This is a superb effort from the usually flamboyant AB.
Lunch report
Ravindra Jadeja ended Hashim Amla's dogged vigil with a beautiful delivery but AB de Villiers frustrated the Indian bowlers no end as South Africa crawled to 94/3 in 107 overs at lunch, raising visions of a draw in the fourth and final cricket Test.
The Proteas continued with their 'Blockathon' as they added only 21 runs in the first session of the final day consuming another 35 overs in the process.
Amla faced 244 balls for his 'epic' 25 before Jadeja bowled him with one that drifted in and then straightened to knock the off-stump.
AB de Villiers showed another side of his game as he gave Amla stiff competition in stonewalling, reaching unbeaten 26 off 203 balls with four boundaries to his credit.
If Amla was not enough, in came Faf Du Plessis (2 not out off 61 balls), who surpassed his skipper's South African record of playing 46 dot balls before opening account. Du Plessis played 52 dots before taking a single of the 53rd delivery.
Du Plessis has done this kind of defending earlier in Adelaide (2012) when he batted close to eight hours (7 hours and 46 minutes) to score 110 and denied the Aussies what looked like an inevitable win. And his partner in crime was none other than 'ABD' who had played 220 balls for his 33 in that particular match.
Du Plessis in fact also surpassed Grant Flower (51 balls vs New Zealand in 2000) to become the third slowest player of all time to open his account
Amla's strike-rate of 10.44 might have put everyone to sleep but his was a perfect example of how to save a Test match from a miraculously hopeless position. His innings might set future templates on how to save a match as the art of drawing a Test match has become virtually extinct.
Obviously, the drab Kotla wicket which became literally lifeless on the final morning did help but it is never easy to save a Test match by batting out more than 160 overs.
Such was the mindset of the South African batsmen that Jadeja has now bowled 16 consecutive maiden overs with his figures reading 35-28-10-1. Ashwin has 2/43 from 35 overs.
There was the odd good ball like the one that got Amla but both the Indian spinners' limitations on slightly unhelpful pitch was thoroughly exposed. Ashwin went back to his old habit of trying too many variations without much success. When the pacers bowled, it did not carry to the wicketkeeper.
ÂOver 107 | Score 94/3
AB and Faf have put on 18 runs for the fourth wicket. More importantly, they have played out 22.1 overs. Proteas batsmen have applied themselves well in the morning, with AB leading from the front. Only two sessions remain now. This is turning out to be a fascinating Test.
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Moment of the morning so far..
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Over 89 | Score 80/3
Jajdeja does it again. The left-arm spinner managed to beat Amla's watertight defense to give India a much-needed breakthrough. The right-hander stretch forward to block the ball, but played down the wrong line. Jadeja's delivery beat the outside edge of the bat to hit the off stump.
HÂ Amla b Jadeja 25 (244)
Over 74 | Score 74/2
Kohli opened India's bowling attack this morning with Umesh and Ishant. AB and Amla will dish out more of the same.
Jumbo rolls his arm over at Kotla...Â
New Delhi: Virat Kohli-led India thrashed Proteas by 337 runs in 4th Test played at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground on Monday. With the comprehensive victory, India also sealed the four-match series 3-0.