A game that everything; skill, grit, drama, scandal and an Indian overseas win(India won by 63 runs)
Coming into the 3rd Test, the Indians were pegged behind, their walls to the back, and that ‘self-doubt’ threatening to become larger in stature.
India had never lost at the Wanderers and that was the only positive that India were taking with themselves into the dead rubber at the Bull Ring.
The pitch was as green as it could be, and it had those cracks that threatened to open at will.
The recipe had been laid out for another India loss, but the players stepped up, in what was one of the most memorable overseas Test matches of the 21st century.
It was tough for the batsmen to survive on this pitch, let alone score freely, but the Indian batsmen fought it out in the middle, counter punching all the time and looking to be positive even when the ball was spitting venom.
With so much talk around the pitch last night, after the umpires asked the players to walk off the field, it looked as if the pitch and all the talk around it could be a distraction for India, going into the 4th day.
But the Indian bowlers held their own, even when Hashim Amla and Dean Elgar were going along so smoothly in the middle.
Amla flicked one straight to Pandya and ABD got one that just took off from a length, and that was that for South Africa, who succumbed to a catastrophic collapse, losing 8 wickets for 45 runs.
India will have to be credited for being persistent with their efforts all through the 4 days of the Test match.
Check out the best tweets:
One of the finest Indian wins overseas. Will go down with Melbourne, Leeds, Perth…..
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) January 27, 2018
The biggest positive for team India was bowling, picked 60 wickets, opening partnership was disappointing, need to learn very quickly, ahead of eng,aus,NZ tours, (series loss was due to some management errors), #INDvSA
— Mohsin Khan (@khanmak666) January 27, 2018
Congratulations Team India and the coach. What a stellar performance. Bowlers make India proud.@RaviShastriOfc
— Suresh Natarajan (@sureshnjn) January 27, 2018
Congratulations to team India on fabulous test win pic.twitter.com/ohVZS1uan2
— anindya mukherjee (@demonstrator10) January 27, 2018
Courage and attitude two words for this team India.Thumping win against SA.Really proud of u boys #INDvSA
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) January 27, 2018
What a victory for India, a memorable one. One of the best overseas wins. Kudos to the pace attack for bowling their heart out. More power to Team India..!!! #INDvsSA #TeamIndia #Bhuvi #Ishant #Bumrah #Shami #KingKohli #Pujara #Jinks
— Toufik Nadaf (@ToufikN) January 27, 2018
Why did Kattapa kill Baahubali?
Why did Kohli drop Bhuvi in the 2nd Test?
At least you know the answer to one of them
— Gabbbar (@GabbbarSingh) January 27, 2018
As captain, @imVkohli‘s desire to succeed laudable & contagious. Got team to regroup, fight back to win 3rd Test, not throw in the towel…
— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) January 27, 2018
Congratulations Team india 🇮🇳 what a win @BCCI #INDvSA test series
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) January 27, 2018
Well done India! Well fought @imVkohli! Deserved victory! Great test and series! Credit to all players! @deanelgar … what can I say? Heart, determination, courage! Take a bow! A lesson to youngsters and parents who think only extreme talent gets u to the top…
— mark boucher (@markb46) January 27, 2018
Well done Indian team on winning Jo’burg Test. Showed solid character n persistence on a tough pitch, deserve all the accolades. Hope the critics who came out blazing after two losses will be eating their words for dinner tonight!!! @BCCI
— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) January 27, 2018
