210/10 (76.3)
CRR : 2.75
223/10 (77.3)
CRR : 2.88
South Africa won by 7 wickets
Player of the Match
Player
72(166)^82(113)
63.1
0
R Ashwin to R Van
Dot ball, flatter and quicker through the air, blocked from the crease.
63.2
1+4
R Ashwin to R Van
Overthrow and this will be five runs, played towards point with soft hands and angled bat, no backup on the throw and this will be five runs.
63.3
4
R Ashwin to T Bavuma
Down on one knee, Slog sweep towards square leg and Bavuma lets out a huge roar and first pump, South Africa win this by 7 wickets and take the Freedom series 2-1. Remarkable comeback from this inexperienced side and the dream to conquer the Proteas in their own backyard feels so close yet so far from India.
It's all over. South Africa take the Freedom series 2-1 after going down in the first game. Marco Jansen was the hero for the Proteas as he picked up 19 wickets in six innings across the three matches. Kagiso Rabada led the bowling attack well and picked up 20 wickets.
Keegan Petersen was the bright light for South Africa with the bat as he scored 276 runs in the three matches. Dean Elgar, in the midst of a controversial decision, played the senior pro's knock quite well and scored 235 runs in the series.
The third Test has been quite similar to the second one. India batted first, the first innings total of both the teams were close but South Africa managed to get on top of the game in the fourth innings in both the matches.
Virat Kohli returned in the Indian XI, won the toss and elected to bat first, top scored with 73 as India slumped for 223 on day 1 itself on a seamer friendly pitch which carried the tennis ball bounce all throughout the match. Kagiso Rabada was the pick of the bowlers in the first innings as he picked up 4 wickets for 73 runs. Marco Jansen also played an important part and claimed his spot in the Proteas XI with a three wicket haul.
New comer Keegan Petersen (72) was the only bright light for the Africans in the first innings as they slumped against the Indian pace attack led by Jasprit Bumrah (5-42) and Mohammed Shami (2-39). India got a 13 run lead on a good surface but slumped for 198 in the second innings. 100 of those coming off Rishabh Pant's bat who remained unbeaten and was the only hope in India's second innings. The batters had enough time but just couldn't build enough partnerships to help their cause. Jansen was again the pick of the bowlers and chipped in with four wickets, Lungi Ngidi and Rabada chippped in with three each.
Chasing 212 to win, South Africa lost two wickets at the end of the day three's play and added 101 runs. Needing another 111 runs to win in two days. Keegan Petersen put up another classy performance as he scored 82 and was the only wicket to fall on day 4 as Shardul Thakur managed to entice an inside edge off his bat which went on to hit the stumps. Rassie van dur Dussen (41*) and Temba Bavuma (32*) made sure there were no hiccups in the chase and finished off the chase in the second session.
Keegan Petersen was the bright light for South Africa with the bat as he scored 276 runs in the three matches. Dean Elgar, in the midst of a controversial decision, played the senior pro's knock quite well and scored 235 runs in the series.
The third Test has been quite similar to the second one. India batted first, the first innings total of both the teams were close but South Africa managed to get on top of the game in the fourth innings in both the matches.
Virat Kohli returned in the Indian XI, won the toss and elected to bat first, top scored with 73 as India slumped for 223 on day 1 itself on a seamer friendly pitch which carried the tennis ball bounce all throughout the match. Kagiso Rabada was the pick of the bowlers in the first innings as he picked up 4 wickets for 73 runs. Marco Jansen also played an important part and claimed his spot in the Proteas XI with a three wicket haul.
New comer Keegan Petersen (72) was the only bright light for the Africans in the first innings as they slumped against the Indian pace attack led by Jasprit Bumrah (5-42) and Mohammed Shami (2-39). India got a 13 run lead on a good surface but slumped for 198 in the second innings. 100 of those coming off Rishabh Pant's bat who remained unbeaten and was the only hope in India's second innings. The batters had enough time but just couldn't build enough partnerships to help their cause. Jansen was again the pick of the bowlers and chipped in with four wickets, Lungi Ngidi and Rabada chippped in with three each.
Chasing 212 to win, South Africa lost two wickets at the end of the day three's play and added 101 runs. Needing another 111 runs to win in two days. Keegan Petersen put up another classy performance as he scored 82 and was the only wicket to fall on day 4 as Shardul Thakur managed to entice an inside edge off his bat which went on to hit the stumps. Rassie van dur Dussen (41*) and Temba Bavuma (32*) made sure there were no hiccups in the chase and finished off the chase in the second session.
RSA won by 7 wickets
Virat Kohli, India Skipper: " Yeah, I think it's a great series. We played well but lost some concentration at some crucial moments. Hats off for them as they played extremely well. They won the series and congratulations to them. We always had these overseas tours which are difficult but recently we were abled to match up with that. We collapsed in the batting in the last two matches. That part we need to look into. Their bowling is world class and bowled in the right areas. We are of course disappointed by the series loss. People put their money on us for what we did in the past but we can't be always sure of winning in the overseas. South Africa were brilliant in their own back yard. There are many positives to take from this series like Centurion win, Rahul's ton, Pant's century here and Mayank's opening stands as well. Yeah it's be a hard fought series and we are ending on the wrong side of it. "
Dean Elgar: "Pretty elated. It will sink in a day or two's time or maybe this evening. Proud of the boys the way they played after the first loss. We still had hope that we can still win this and worked on our process in a brilliant way and the boys responded brilliantly. Challenging your players in the group and having characters who are willing to win. Our bowling unit did extremely well and picked up 60 wickets in the series which is a difficult task. We have a young talented group which is gaining experience everyday. It is great to see a group which doesn't have the repertoire and still manages to win. I can handpick names which have performed well at different junctures in the series. I have an old school mentality with a new school twist. It was brilliant to see the guys following the message and working towards the win, they have responded brilliantly. I have absolutely no regrets. And this is the best message going forward that we can win Test series. I think as a player's group we have been playing as a unit. If you do that, you can go a bit quicker. We have grown massively as a unit after losing two Tests. The first loss hurt us but if you have to be the number 1 team in the World one day, then you need to compete against the top teams and do well. I am really thinking about the next series, lots of positives going in the next series but we need to work on the negatives as well and need to curb our weaknesses going forward. Keegan has responded well after the first game, I have played a lots of domestic cricket with him. He is going to be a great player. He always had this ability and has dominated domestic cricket. it is awesome to see him do well in this series. There is still a lot of room for improvement and he is someone who is willing to learn and it is good to have characters like him in the dressing room. I am extremely proud of what KP has achieved."
Keegan Petersen, Player of the Match and Series: " I don't know be honest how do I feel. Happy and emotional also grateful for the opportunities. I am confident and stick to my game. It's a tough journey to be honest. Don't know, some how it's a tough journey (laughs slightly). It's a high quality team with a high quality bowling department. We need to be tough in our mindset. We played well. Thank you."
Dean Elgar and Co collects the Freedom Series Trophy and the celebrations begin.
That's it from the Freedom Series. It's a good bye from us. Thanks for joining. We will meet in the next match until then it's cheers.