Dale Steyn took two early wickets to set up an emphatic 10-wicket win for South Africa on the fifth day of the second and final Test against India at Kingsmead on Monday.
The win clinched the two-match series for South Africa after the first Test in Johannesburg was drawn. It also confirmed South Africa’s ranking as the world’s No1 Test team ahead of second-ranked India.
Fast bowler Steyn set the tone for South Africa by taking two key wickets in his first two overs of the day. He followed up with a third wicket – his 350th in Tests – with the second new ball and finished with 3-47 as India were dismissed for 223, leaving South Africa a target of 58.
Alviro Petersen and Graeme Smith needed only 48 minutes and 11.4 overs to knock off the runs. It meant that Jacques Kallis, playing in his last Test, did not need to bat again after his first innings of 115 built the platform for South Africa to take a crucial 166-run first innings lead.
“We wanted the win as a fitting tribute to Jacques but the weather and the pitch made life a little more difficult,” said South Africa captain Smith.
“We needed to make sure we got a lead in the first innings. It wasn’t easy with the ball spinning and a bit of reverse swing. We needed to grind out a score and set up the game. Jacques’s hundred allowed us to do that.”
Steyn dismissed overnight batsmen Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara after India resumed on 68-2. Vernon Philander dismissed Rohit Sharma and left-arm spinner Robin Peterson took two wickets in one over before lunch to leave India facing defeat with only the tail to come.
Ajinkya Rahane carried India’s hopes and made a fighting 96, his second half-century of the match, before he was last man out.
Kohli was given out to the first ball of a bright, sunny morning, pushing at a fast, rising delivery outside his off stump.
Kohli looked shocked by umpire Rod Tucker’s decision and replays indicated the ball may have brushed his shirt sleeve after going past the outside edge of his bat.
There is no decision review system in place for the series because India have rejected using technology for anything other than line decisions.
With Kohli gone, Pujara loomed as the biggest obstacle to South Africa’s push for a win. But he was beaten by a ball which straightened past his forward defensive stroke and clipped the top of his off stump. Neither batsmen added to their overnight scores of 11 and 32 respectively.
Rohit Sharma and Rahane resisted for more than an hour, adding 33 runs, before Sharma was trapped leg before wicket by a Philander ball which seamed back at him.
Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni attempted to counter-attack before whipping a ball from Peterson straight to Alviro Petersen at midwicket.
Ravindra Jadeja hit a six off Peterson but in attempting to repeat the shot sliced the ball high to mid-off where Morne Morkel held a well-judged catch.
Dhoni, though, paid tribute to the efforts of his young team.
“Not many of our batsmen had played in more than five Tests outside India,” he said. “It was very good experience for them playing against a top side.”
Zaheer Khan survived for more than an hour before he was leg before to Peterson. The new ball accounted for the last two wickets, with Ishant Sharma fending a Steyn bouncer to wicketkeeper AB de Villiers and Rahane swinging and missing against Philander as he tried to complete what would have been a maiden Test century.
Rahane, playing in only his third Test, completed an impressive series. A compact, composed batsman, he dealt competently with South Africa’s pace barrage.
