INDIA retains No. 1 spot in Tests by crushing South Africa in the final day Thriller

India just about managed to thwart a stubborn resistance from South Africa’s Hashim Amla and the tailenders to clinch a series-levelling innings and 58 runs victory in the final cricket Test to retain their status as the number one Test team here on Friday.

Harbhajan Singh answered India's call with a mix of aggressive and patient, smart and persistent spin bowling, taking them to a series-equalling and innings win over South Africa. However, retaining the No. 1 spot in Tests wasn't easy for India: the last three wickets batted out 53.3 overs. The last pair denied India for 77 minutes but Harbhajan came back to trap Morne Morkel with just nine mandatory deliveries to go. Hashim Amla was difficult to dislodge, but India found a way around him, leaving him stranded - after 23 hours and 22 minutes of batting in the series, nine hours and 39 minutes in this innings.

The hosts, who needed to pick up the remaining seven wickets to draw the series 1-1, were made to wait till the very end of a dramatic fifth day’s play for their moment of glory with Hashim Amla nearly carrying the Proteas to safety with a defiant unbeaten 127.

Resuming at 115 for three after conceding a mammoth 347-run first innings lead, the South Africans were all out for 289 with just 15 minutes remaining on a nail-biting last day.

Spinners Harbhajan Singh (5/59) and Amit Mishra (3/84) were the wreckers-in-chief as they ripped through the South African middle order but it was the stout resistance from Amla and the tailenders which delayed the victory.

It was a remarkable effort by Amla who not only notched up his 10th Test ton but showed amazing temparament and skill to negotiate the Indian bowlers on a fifth day Eden Gardens track and very nearly saved the game for his team.

After the tea break, the Indians were literally racing against time to dismiss the last three wickets in the tense post-tea session and the injury-induced absence of Zaheer Khan did have a bearing.

Harbhajan claimed the last wicket of Mornie Morkel, trapping him leg before wicket, to mark India’s victory and send the vociferous Eden crowd into a frenzy.

The fiesty off spinner ran towards the boundary line and was soon hugged by his teammates who celebrated the victory. 

Amla and Morkel defied the Indians for 124 balls to frustrate the hosts who just could not get the breakthrough despite deploying an attacking field right through the day.

But it was Amla, who achieved the rare feat of scoring centuries in all the innings he played in the series, who took the centrestage with his superb batting, occupying the crease for more than a day and facing 394 balls.

With the Test series ending with honours shared, both the teams will now gear up for the three-match one-day series beginning in Jaipur from Sunday.

With this win, India not only avenged their defeat in the Nagpur series-opener but also foiled South Africa’s bid to snatch the number one Test team tag.

South Africa began their bid to save the match on a particularly sunny day, resuming on 115 for three, with overnight batsmen Amla and Ashwell Prince (23) showing the kind of determination needed to save the Test.

Amla continued his dream run in India, looking equally comfortable against spin and pace and working the ball all around with consummate ease.

Prince was not exactly fluent during his 80-ball stay, but more importantly, he hung on gamely to defy the Indian bowlers for nearly two hours.

Just before lunch, Harbhajan ended Prince’s vigil during his sparkling six-over spell.

After teasing the left-hander, Harbhajan eventually had Prince caught at mid-off by Ishant Sharma.

Mishra dealt another blow in the penultimate over before lunch, foxing AB de Villiers (3) with a googly that rapped the batsman on the pad plumb in front of wicket.

Reduced to 164 for five, South Africa needed J.P. Duminy (6) to come good today but the talented left-hander’s lean patch continued.

Harbhajan, who has looked a vastly improved bowler in this Test, trapped Duminy with a straight one to claim the batsman for the second time in the match.

Two overs later, Harbhajan trapped Dale Steyn (1) to reduce the visitors to 180 for seven. 

Things could have been worse for South Africa as substitute fielder Suresh Raina could not latch on to the edge off Wayne Parnell’s bat off Ishant Sharma at wide fourth slip.

Parnell, who came out at number nine, gave Amla fine support at the other end to frustrate the hosts after the tea break, but proved too little as the hosts clinched a nail-biting victory. 

Scorecard

South Africa 2nd Innings

Batsman South Africa(290/10 in 131.3 ovs) Runs Balls 4's 6's SR G Smith(c) lbw A Mishra 20 33 2 0 60.61 A Petersen c S Badrinath & b H Singh 21 51 2 0 41.18 H Amla Not out 123 394 16 0 31.22 J Kallis c M Dhoni & b A Mishra 20 47 3 0 42.55 A Prince c I Sharma & b H Singh 23 80 1 0 28.75 AB De Villiers(wk) lbw A Mishra 3 16 0 0 18.75 J Duminy lbw H Singh 6 22 1 0 27.27 D Steyn lbw H Singh 1 16 0 0 6.25 W Parnell c H Singh & b I Sharma 22 64 4 0 34.38 P Harris c (sub)D Karthik & b I Sharma 4 24 1 0 16.67 M Morkel lbw H Singh 12 60 3 0 20 Extras b - 6, lb - 5, w - 1, nb - 18, Total - 35

Total:(290 for 10 in 131.3 overs) 290 Run Rate: 2.21

Fall Of Wickets 1/36 (Graeme Smith, 12.1 ov.), 2/54 (Alviro Petersen, 17.2 ov.), 3/111 (Jacques Kallis, 33.2 ov.), 4/158 (Ashwell Prince, 61.4 ov.), 5/164 (AB de Villiers, 68.1 ov.), 6/172 (Jean-Paul Duminy, 73.6 ov.), 7/180 (Dale Steyn, 77.6 ov.), 8/250 (Wayne Parnell, 102.2 ov.), 9/264 (Paul Harris, 110.5 ov.), 10/289 (Morne Morkel, 131.3 ov.)

Bowler 0 M R W Nb Wd ER Zaheer Khan 6 0 32 0 0 0 5.33 Harbhajan Singh 48.3 23 59 5 0 0 1.22 Ishant Sharma 25 5 84 2 9 1 3.36 Amit Mishra 40 12 78 3 8 0 1.95 Virender Sehwag 10 2 20 0 1 0 2 Sachin Tendulkar 2 1 1 0 0 0 0.5