GUWAHATI, India (AP) — South Africa was edging toward its first test series win in India since 2000-01 on Wednesday, taking three more Indian wickets on the morning of the fifth day to leave the hosts in a near-impossible position for a victory.
World Test Championship winner South Africa leads the two-match series after taking the opener in Kolkata by 30 runs.
By the first tea interval on Wednesday, India was 90-5 and still 459 runs behind.
At the break, Sai Sudharsan was unbeaten on 14 runs off 138 balls, while Ravindra Jadeja was 23 not out off 40 balls.
India captain and wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant was among the three morning wickets to fall, out for 13 off the bowling of Simon Harmer, who had taken four of the five India wickets in the second innings.
Harmer bamboozled the hosts with an unforgiving spell of off-spin. He began with bowling night watchman Kuldeep Yadav in the eighth over of the day. The ball skidded on in the 24th over and kept low as Yadav was bowled for 5 runs off 38 balls.
Three balls later, in the same over, Dhruv Jurel edged tamely to slip — out for two runs.
India was down at 42-4, with Pant in the middle. He didn’t last long either — also caught at slip off a sharp turner in the 32nd over.
Chasing an improbable 549-run target, India was down to 27-2 at stumps Tuesday on Day 4. India lost its openers early Tuesday — Yashasvi Jaiswal was caught behind for 13 runs, while Lokesh Rahul was bowled for six.
On Monday, Marco Jansen took 6-48 to help South Africa take a 314-run first innings lead when India was bowled out for 201 in reply to South Africa’s 489.
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