TWO sessions were washed out due to persistent rain and it took nearly six hours for the fourth day’s play to begin in Johannesburg yesterday.

But it was worth the wait for South Africa who rode on skipper Dean Elgar’s excellent knock to win the second Test against India by seven wickets.

Elgar’s unbeaten 96 not only forced a decider in Cape Town next week, but it also helped South Africa register their first win against India at the Wanderers in six attempts. This was also South Africa’s highest successful chase at this venue since re-admission, surpassing the 220 they scored to win the Test against New Zealand in 2006.

After a lengthy wait, the game finally got underway at 19:15hrs local time and Jasprit Bumrah produced a beauty first up, getting one to seam away sharply from Rassie van der Dussen’s outside edge. He later got one to jump off a length that clipped his glove but went over gully.

van der Dussen was also not too comfortable facing Ashwin who opened the attack with Bumrah. Elgar, meanwhile, was looking solid at the other end as he brought up his fifty with a drill past mid-on for a four off Ashwin.

The target came down to double digits when Bumrah bowled one too full to van der Dussen, who managed to squeeze it away through cover for a couple having previously been struck on the midriff by a delivery that took off. van der Dussen continued to be troubled by Bumrah’s deliveries that were hitting the crack on a good length but he hung in there and capitalised on anything full, even creaming a cover drive.

Bumrah and Mohammed Shami were also a bit too straight to Elgar coming from around the wicket, not challenging the outside edge as much as they would have liked and also allowing him to rotate the strike.

Meanwhile, the ball was changed a couple of times due to the wetness of the outfield. But the inconsistent bowling continued as Shami was struck for two successive fours by van der Dussen, who flicked and pulled with authority, while the bowler was also guilty of conceding five wides with a desperate bouncer.

Shardul Thakur was eventually introduced into the attack and he found the outside edge of van der Dussen’s bat but a fielder wasn’t stationed at gully and the result was a four, while the next boundary in the same over was a powerful drive off the back foot.

More than 50 runs were scored in the much-delayed first hour of play before Shami struck to end the partnership worth 82, by having van der Dussen edge to Pujara at first slip.

Shami had Elgar flashing at one outside off and the ball went over the slip cordon for a boundary while Thakur put down a catch off his own bowling to give Temba Bavuma a reprieve. The required runs came down to fifty when Elgar struck two back-to-back fours off Shami, driving through mid-on and steering the ball past gully.

India’s hopes of putting South Africa under pressure with quick wickets did not materialise as Bavuma settled into a partnership with Elgar and even struck a couple of attractive cover drives to the boundary off Bumrah. Mohammed Siraj, who bowled the 65th over, was taken to the cleaners by Elgar who pulled and steered two successive fours, and also carved a boundary over point in the same over.

Those weren’t the only runs in the over as Siraj also gave away five wides and his helplessness reflected that of his team as South Africa marched to victory with Elgar poetically scoring the winning runs with a boundary off Ashwin. (Cricbuzz)

INDIA 1st innings 202
SOUTH AFRICA 1st innings 229
INDIA 2nd innings
Lokesh Rahul c Aiden Markram b Marco Jansen 8
Mayank Agarwal lbw Duanne Olivier 23
Cheteshwar Pujara lbw Kagiso Rabada 53
Ajinkya Rahane c Kyle Verreynne b Kagiso Rabada 58
Hanuma Vihari not out 40
Rishabh Pant c Kyle Verreynne b Kagiso Rabada 0
Ravichandran Ashwin c Kyle Verreynne b Lungi Ngidi 16
Shardul Thakur c Keshav Maharaj b Marco Jansen 28
Mohammed Shami c Kyle Verreynne b Marco Jansen 0
Jasprit Bumrah c Marco Jansen b Lungi Ngidi 7
Mohammed Siraj b Lungi Ngidi 0
Extras: (b-16, lb-4, nb-8, w-5) 33
Total: (all out, 60.1 overs) 266
Fall of wickets: 1-24, 2-44, 3-155, 4-163, 5-167, 6-184, 7-225, 8-228, 9-245.
Bowling: Kagiso Rabada 20-3-77-3 (w-1, nb-8), Duanne Olivier 12-1-51-1, Lungi Ngidi 10.1-2-43-3, Marco Jansen 17-4-67-3, Keshav Maharaj 1-0-8-0.
SOUTH AFRICA 2nd innings
Aiden Markram lbw Shardul Thakur 31
Dean Elgar not out 96
Keegan Petersen lbw Ravichandran Ashwin 28
Rassie van der Dussen c Cheteshwar Pujara b Mohammed Shami 40
Temba Bavuma not out 23
Extras: (b-1, lb-7, nb-1, w-16) 25
Total: (three wkts, 67.4 overs) 243
Fall of wickets: 1-47, 2-93, 3-175.
Bowling: Jasprit Bumrah 17-2-70-0 (w-1, nb-1), Mohammed Shami 17-3-55-1 (w-1), Shardul Thakur 16-2-47-1, Mohammed Siraj 6-0-37-0 (w-2), Ravichandran Ashwin 11.4-2-26-1.