• Proteas clinch famous series win over India

    Published on

    Keegan Petersen hit 82 as South Africa beat India by seven wickets at Newlands to claim a 2-1 Test series win.

    It was a tense chase, with South Africa having to work for almost every run after being set to make 212 on a pitch which gave assistance to the fast bowlers.

    Petersen, on 59, survived a straightforward chance to Cheteshwar Pujara at first slip off Jasprit Bumrah in the seventh over of the day.

    Petersen went on to add 23 more valuable runs as he and Rassie van der Dussen (41*) put on 54 runs after resuming at the overnight 101-2.

    Van der Dussen and Temba Bavuma (32*) took South Africa to victory 35 minutes after lunch with an unbeaten stand of 57.

    Bumrah and Mohammed Shami both beat the bat several times at the start of the day but it was the lesser pace of Shardul Thakur that brought a breakthrough when Petersen chopped on to his stumps with 57 runs still needed.

    The series was dominated by fast bowlers with the South African trio of Kagiso Rabada (20), Marco Jansen (19) and Lungi Ngidi (15) heading the wicket-takers.

    India’s leading wicket-takers were Shami (15), Bumrah (12) and Thakur (12).

    Run-scoring was difficult throughout the series. There was only one total of more than 300, by India in the first Test, and teams were bowled out for fewer than 200 on four occasions.

    There were only two individual centuries, by India’s KL Rahul and Risabh Pant, and 11 half-centuries, of which Petersen hit three.

    Petersen was the leading run-scorer, making 276 at an average of 46.00.

    © Agence France-Presse

    Post by

    Simon Borchardt