3rd Test: India sealed the Test Series after defeating South Africa by 124 runs

On the day when at last an even contest between the bat and the ball took place, Ravi Ashwin who delivered the knock out punch to hand South Africa their first away series loss in nine-years.

His career best of 7/66 bowled the visitors out for 185, chasing a total of 310, on such a turning track, to give India the series 2-0 and himself the match figures of 12/98.

The first session witnessed the Test match special. With a turning surface on offered and series on the line, two of the South African batsman were defying all odds. In perhaps the most grueling session of the series though Hashim Amla, Faf due Plessis showed their class they have been missing throughout the series, until Mishra took two wickets in two overs, swung the arc back in India's favor, reducing them to 151/6 at tea. The final four wickets belonged to Ashwin who returned to remove Duminy out leg before offering no shot, before wiping out the tail.

For all these who questioned the pitch for the completion of the three innings inside two days, had their rank-turner concept go awry.  Amla and du Plessis determination showed how, if we adapt well, the conditions can be overcome.

With all decks stacked against them, the pair managed to score the biggest partnership of the series(72) for South Africa, did something that only other batsman had done, batted over 100 balls.

Scoring 310 was always going to be an ambitious task, so when 46 runs were scored in the second session, it was understandable. There wasn't a boundary scored for over 26 overs and neither the batsman showed any signs of hurrying along.

With survival in the mind, they were up to the task as far as the first part of the script was concerned. Plenty of deliveries bounced and turned but thankfully for the batsman, they survived.

Mishra bowled the the ball of the session to finnaly snap the gritty stand. To a loopy delivery, Amla bent forward before the ball could reached him and he got the edge, that carried to the slips and in the next over of Mishra, du Plessis was trying to pull the ball which kept low, had his middle stump rattled. Duminy then hit couple of fours to conclude the session, the eventually belonged to India.

In the morning session, only two wickets fell down, the least in a single session of the day. Amla and du Plessis overcome the early loss of Dean Elgar and the dangerous AB de Villiers to finish on 105/4 at lunch. They formed the core of this South African middle order and with a combined 53 runs in six innings, wouldn't have entered the third-day with much confidence. But their steely resolve dismissed any prediction of getting the game over before lunch.

Elgar started the day on the positive node, hitting six off Ashwin but much like the day before his was the first wicket to fell, to the same bowler. de Villiers expectedly walked out to cheers from the crowd and looked a bit tentative in order to avoid the pair.

With a single to midwicket and a loft off Jadeja for four, de Villiers seemed to have adopted the approach Duminy did in the first innings. He looked good before the magical innings from Ashwin, mounted pressure and halted the progress. de Villiers had no clue of the straighter carrom ball and that was it.