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Images from Day Two in the third Test at Nagpur
India need eight wickets to clinch the series against South Africa after their spinners, led by Ravichandran Ashwin, wreaked havoc on a turning track on the second day of the third Test in Nagpur.
A whopping 20 wickets fell Day Two as the hosts shot out the visitors for a record-low first innings score of 79 before setting them a target of 310.
Only once previously - against Australia in Mumbai in 2004 - had 20 wickets fallen on the same day in a Test match in India.
Ashwin took his 14th five-wicket haul in Tests while left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja bagged four as India, who made 215 after batting first on the turning track at the VCA Stadium, took a first innings lead of 136 runs.
The tourists, who trail the four-test series 1-0, then dismissed the hosts for 173 in the second innings, and that left them with more than three full days to get 278 more runs to win the game and keep the series alive for the fourth tie at Delhi commencing on December 3.
South Africa were 32-2 at stumps, having lost opener Stiaan van Zyl (5) and nightwatchman Imran Tahir (8), and facing an embarrassing defeat inside three days.
Dean Elgar (10) and captain Hashim Amla (three) were unbeaten at the crease.
The South African innings lasted seven minutes over two hours and 33.1 overs.
It beat the previous low of 84 against India made in Johannesburg in December 2006 as well as the previous lowest in this country of 105 in November 1996.
It's also their lowest total since returning to international cricket after the end of apartheid in the early 1990s.
It also happened to be the lowest Test total by a visiting side in India, beating the previous mark of 82 posted by Sri Lanka in 1990 at Chandigarh.
None of the Proteas' batsmen, barring to some extent left handed Jean-Paul Duminy, who top-scored with 35 in 65 balls and 71 minutes after being let-off twice, showed inclination or skill to counter the threat posed by Ashwin and Jadeja.
Opening batsman Elgar (seven) fell in the first over of the day to Ashwin and was quickly joined in the dressing room by Amla (one) and AB de Villiers (nought).
Faf du Plessis (10) was the first South Africa batsman to reach double figures and, along with Duminy, ensured that the team went past their lowest Test score of 30.
South Africa collapsed like a deck of cards against the Indian spinners.
Ashwin bowled unchanged for 16.1 overs from the end opposite to the pavilion to return with his 14th five-wicket in an innings haul in his 31st game. Having accounted for the wicket of opener van Zyl on Wednesday, he added the wickets of the other opener Dean Elgar, rival skipper Amla, Simon Harmer and Morne Morkel by making the ball 'talk' on a spiteful pitch.
He sent back Elgar and Amla in the space of three balls in successive overs to leave Proteas gasping at 11 for four. Left-arm spinner Jadeja was not too far behind and sent back danger man A B de Villiers for a duck, Faf du Plessis and Dane Vilas to add to his wicket kitty that already had Tahir on Wednesday.
The deliveries that got rid of de Villiers and du Plessis were classy ones, the first one stopping and deceiving the batsman who put up a return catch and the second turning across the face of the bat and clean bowling du Plessis.
At the fall of de Villiers, the South African scorecard painted a sorry picture after reading 12 for five before the lower-order and let-offs by the Indian fielders helped them to improve the total.
India lost in-form opener Murali Vijay (5) cheaply to Morne Morkel before Shikhar Dhawan (39) and Cheteshwar Pujara (31) added 44 runs to help India cross the 50 mark.
Pujara looked in good touch by hitting Kagiso Rabada and Duminy for fours in successive balls before the latter deceived him with an arm ball that crashed into the off stump as the batsman played for the turn.
This brought together Dhawan, who was watchful, and Kohli and the duo put on a very useful 45 runs for the third wicket in 37 balls before both threw away their wickets by attacking Imran Tahir.
Tahir packed them off in the space of three balls spread over two overs.
In fact, India were cruising along nicely at 97 for two when Tahir struck quick blows by grabbing three wickets in 11 balls spread over different overs by getting rid of Dhawan, Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane in quick time.
Dhawan, who struck Duminy for three boundaries in one over, lost his patience when Tahir came on and got out to a reverse sweep shot, nicking behind. He hit six boundaries in his two-hour stay.
Kohli, who struck two fours during his 30-ball stay at the crease, lost his cool in Tahir's next over and stepped out to loft him straight to
long off where du Plessis took a well-judged catch. It was a poor shot to play when his team was pressing on for a big lead to shut the door on South Africa.
Not to be left behind, Rahane departed at the stroke of tea while trying to slog Tahir's googly to be caught off the leading edge by a diving Duminy at backward point.
India, 108 for five at the end of session two, folded up 72 minutes into the last session after adding 65 more runs.
