Losing Five Wickets for 12 Runs, South Africa Record New Test Low vs India
Faced with another defeat inside three days in Nagpur, South Africa are on the verge of losing their third Test series in India.
South Africa's enviable nine-year overseas Test record -- 10 Test series wins in 14 rubbers - faced a serious threat at stumps on Day 2 of the third Test against India in Nagpur on Thursday.
Shot out for 79 in their first innings earlier in the day, South Africa returned to chase a 310-run victory target on a manic day when 20 wickets tumbled on a fast-deteriorating surface at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium. (Day 2 Highlights | Report)
South Africa's 79 was the lowest Test total by a visiting side in India, beating the previous mark of 82 posted by Sri Lanka in 1990 at Chandigarh. In spite of having men capable of playing big knocks on difficult wickets, the likes of Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers and JP Duminy batted like novices in front of the Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
On Thursday, South Africa lost half their side for 12 runs. This was the first time a touring team faced such an ignominy against India. India had suffered a similar batting debacle in England. India had lost half their side for six runs against England at Manchester in Aug 1952.
South Africa, 32/2 in their second innings, have to make a further 278 for victory in a match in which the highest total has been India's first innings score of 215 and the highest individual innings being the 40 of Murali Vijay, also in the first innings.
Can Hashim Amla or De Villiers do a Viv Richards?
The South Africans have to make the highest ever score by a visiting side in the fourth innings of a Test match in India, the current best being the 276/5 of the West Indies in 1987 at Delhi, thanks to a brilliant century by Vivian Richards, who made an unbeaten 109 off 102 balls on a turning track.
South Africa had won only one Test rubber in five visits to India, in 1999-00 under Hansie Cronje before the match-fix saga broke. The Proteas lost in 1996-97 (1-2 in a three-Test series) and 2004-05 (0-1 in a two-Test encounter) before holding India to draws in 2007-08 and 2009-10.
If India win in Nagpur, South Africa will be consigned to their third series defeat in six Test rubbers on the Indian soil.
(With inputs from HR Gopala Krishna)