IND vs SA, 3rd Test: India Win By An Innings & 202 Runs To Clinch Series 3-0

With this terrific win, Virat Kohli & Co whitewashed the Proteas in the 3-match series and retained the top spot in the ICC World Test Championship points table

India earns the Freedom Series Gandhi-Madela Trophy with utmost pride as they defeated South Africa by an innings and 202 runs in the 3^rd Test in Ranchi on Tuesday. With this terrific win, Virat Kohli & Co whitewashed the Proteas in the 3-match series and retained the top spot in the ICC World Test Championship points table. India now have 240 points after winning all the five matches they have played so far since the inception of the tournament. India needed just 2 wickets to wrap the things up on the fourth day as South Africa batting tumbled twice in reply to India’s first innings score of 497 runs on Monday. The hosts didn’t waste much time as the visitors faced only 12 balls before getting bundled for 133. Overnight batsman Theunis de Bruyn (the concussion substitute for Dean Elgar) was the first to go as he became Shahbaz Nadeem's first victim in the second innings. He was caught brilliantly by wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha at his individual score of 30. The very next ball, Nadeem took a rebound catch to dismiss Lungi Ngidi. The left-arm spinner was alert to the possibility of a rebound and took an easy catch to bring an end to the South Africa second innings at 132. Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav picked up five wickets apiece during the course of the Test match while spinners Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and debutant Nadeem also contributed to India's success by scalping 3, 1 and 4 wickets respectively. Earlier, South Africa were bundled out for mere 162 in their first innings in response to India's 497/9 declared and skipper Virat Kohli enforced the follow-on for the eighth time in his career. Rohit Sharma had scored his maiden double hundred and was well supported by India vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane who scored his first ton in India in three years. The performance of the visitors in the second essay was no different as they kept on losing wickets right from the start and showed no application whatsoever. The Proteas batsmen appeared clueless against the class of the Indian bowlers, especially Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami. South Africa had already lost the Test series by tasting comprehensive defeats in the first two Tests. In Visakhapatnam, India won by 203 runs and went to register a win by an innings and 137 runs in Pune.