Dominant India wrap up the series

Dominant India wrap up the series

Pune: The South African tail-enders – Keshav Maharaj and Vernon Philander – once again showed resilience and threatened to spoil India’s party but India thumped the Proteas to win the second Test by an innings and 137 runs and a day to spare at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Sunday to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

In the process, they also set a world record of 11th consecutive home series win.  

Breaking the partnership
As the Indian players trudged back to the pavilion for the Tea interval on Day 4, they were well and truly in control of the game. After being asked to follow on, South Africa were reeling at 172/7 with Philander and Maharaj at the crease. The result was inevitable but the duo, like they had done in the first innings, once again showed grit, denying India any success for more than 21 overs before the former was caught down the leg-side off Umesh’s bowling.

The early breakthroughs
Earlier, India, having secured a 326-run lead in the first innings, enforced the follow-on. Ishant Sharma set the ball rolling for India as he dismissed Aiden Markram in the first over. Had the South African reviewed the decision, he could have prolonged his stay in the middle as the replays indicated that the ball was missing the leg-stump.

Theunis de Bruyn was the next man to get out as Wriddhiman Saha took a screamer, flying towards his left as Umesh Yadav scalped his first wicket of the innings.

While Dean Elgar and Faf du Plessis put up a 49-run stand, Saha’s brilliance behind the wickets sent the South African skipper packing. Elgar fell a run later as Umesh took a juggling catch in the deep off R Ashwin as India left South Africa reeling at 71/4. Quinton de Kock fell eight runs later as Ravindra Jadeja disturbed the timber.

Temba Bavuma and Senuran Muthusamy then offered some resistance as the pair added 46 runs together. However, Ajinkya Rahane took a sharp catch in the slips to end Bavuma’s vigil as Jadeja scalped his second wicket.

Impressive slip catching
India’s fine slip-catching was once again on display as Rohit Sharma caught Muthusamy off Mohammed Shami. Philander and Maharaj repeated their effort from the first innings to try and delay the inevitable, before Umesh got the better of the former with another catch for Saha down the leg-side. The Indian pacer then  dismissed Rabada in the same over before Jadeja trapped Maharaj before the wickets to complete India’s 11th successive series win at home.

The home run
India’s run of consecutive Test series wins at home began with victory over Australia in February 2013. England were the last visiting side to win a series on Indian soil in December 2012.

They surpass the record of 10 consecutive home Test series wins held by Australia - who have done it twice, between November 1994 and January 2001, and again between July 2004 and December 2008.

With the series win, India extend their lead over New Zealand at the top of the ICC World Test Championship, with four wins from four Tests played.

The sides will meet for the final time in the rubber in Ranchi for the third Test, starting October 19.

Brief Scores: 
India 601/5 (Virat Kohli 254*, Mayank Agarwal 108; Kagiso Rabada 3/93) beat South Africa 275 all out ((Keshav Maharaj 72, Faf du Plessis 64; R Ashwin 4/69) and 189 all out (Dean Elgar 48; Umesh Yadav 3/22) by an innings and 137 runs

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