India need eight wickets to clinch the four-Test 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, on Thursday.
Shot out for 79 in the first innings earlier in the day, South Africa, after dismissing India for 173 in the second, returned to chase a 310-run victory target on a manic day when 20 wickets tumbled on a fast-deteriorating surface at the VCA Stadium, and were 32-2 at stumps, having lost opener Stiaan van Zyl and nightwatchman Imran Tahir.
Rajneesh Gupta has some interesting numbers from the day's play. Read on:
2 Number of times India dismissed South Africa under-100 since South Africa's readmission in international cricket (in 1992). India is the only country to do so.
5 Number of times Stiaan van Zyl has fallen to Ravichandran Ashwin in the series. Only Harbhajan Singh has dismissed a particular batsman (Ricky Ponting) in his five consecutive innings. That was in 2000-01.
11 Number of five-wicket hauls Ashwin has taken on Indian soil, the same as that of Kapil Dev. However, while Kapil took 65 Tests to do so, Ashwin needed only 18.
20 Number of wickets falling in the day – most in any day's play in a Test on Indian soil. The third day's play at the Wankhede in the India-Australia Test in 2004-05 had also seen 20 wickets, but 293 runs were scored on that occasion as against 273 in Nagpur.
32 Number of wickets falling in first two days – a record not just for a Test in India, but in all Tests in Asia. The Sharjah Test between Pakistan and Australia in 2002-03 had seen 29 wickets.
32.25 Average balls bowled per wicket in this Test so far. Only one Test has seen a lower balls per wicket ratio in a Test in India where 30 or more wickets fell (30.33 in India-Australia Test at the Wankhede in 2004-05).
79 South Africa's total – lowest by any side against India. Sri Lanka's 82 at Chandigarh in 1990-91 was the previous lowest.
276 Highest fourth innings total made by an opposition to win a Test on the Indian soil- by West Indies at Delhi in 1987-88. South Africa are chasing 310 in this Test.