Finance
Off-spinner Simon Harmer bowled an outstanding 6-37 as South Africa sealed a dominant 408-run victory against India at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium on Wednesday, securing a 2-0 series sweep.
Chasing 549, India was bowled out for 140 on day five, with veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja top-scoring with 54. South Africa also handed the hosts their biggest Test defeat by runs. South Africa, the defending World Test Championship winners, have won their first Test series in India since 2000.
South Africa also set a new record for the largest Test victory margin against India. Right from the time South Africa won the toss, everything went their way, with India now left to ponder over the questions as their fortress-like reputation when playing Tests at home suffers another big blow after their 3-0 loss to New Zealand last year.
South Africa struck early in the fifth ball of the afternoon session, as B Sai Sudharsan, who had battled defensively all morning, pressed forward once more to smother Senuran Muthusamy’s spin, but failed to cover the line and edged to slip, where Markram took his eighth catch of the match.
Ravindra Jadeja attempted to delay the inevitable by pounding and dragging off spinners for boundaries. He scored his fifty in style, flicking Keshav Maharaj over deep midwicket for six. But South Africa kept chipping away when Washington Sundar poked at a faster delivery and the outside edge was smartly collected by Markram at slip, who took a record ninth catch and gave Harmer a well-deserved five-wicket haul.
Harmer collected his sixth wicket after Nitish Kumar Reddy’s attempted reverse sweep hit the glove edge, giving the wicketkeeper a straightforward catch. South Africa was on the verge of triumph when Jadeja danced down the pitch against Keshav Maharaj, but was caught in the air, and wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne completed a quick stumping.
Jansen, fittingly, took a one-handed blinder while running backwards to dismiss Mohammed Siraj off Maharaj’s bowling, sparking surreal scenes in the South African camp as they drank up the excitement of defeating India on their home turf for only the second time in Tests.
Brief Scores: South Africa 489 and 260/5d in 78.3 overs (Tristan Stubbs 94; Ravindra Jadeja 4/62) beat India 201 and 140 in 63.5 overs (Ravindra Jadeja 54, Washington Sundar 16; Simon Harmer 6-37, Keshav Maharaj 2-37) by 408 runs
