The Johannesburg stronghold
India’s spotless record in Johannesburg remains intact, with their 63-run victory in the third Test of this series. That puts their tally at two wins and three draws at the Wanderers. Among all overseas venues, where they have played at least five Tests, the only other ground where they haven’t lost a single one is Georgetown, Guyana. India have played six games there. All of them have ended in draws.
A series for bowlers
For the first time in history, all 40 wickets fell in each Test in a series of three of more matches. There were three instances of 118 wickets falling in a three-Test series, while the highest in a four-Test series is 157. The best over five Tests is 197.
India’s bowlers had rare success when travelling: for only the third time in an away series of three or more Tests, they took all the wickets on offer in each match. The two other such instances were in England 1986, when India won 2-0, and in Sri Lanka 2015, when they won 2-1.
Amla in control
In conditions that were extremely difficult for the batsmen, Hashim Amlashowed great skill and adaptability in passing 50 in each innings, the only batsman to do so in the Test. In terms of control factor – the number of deliveries he middled or left alone – Amla achieved a percentage that was the best among all batsmen who faced 20-plus deliveries. He achieved a control percentage of 84.2, which was marginally better than KL Rahul’s 84.1 in his second-innings knock of 16 off 44 balls. Among the batsmen who passed 50 in this Test, no other batsman had a control percentage of more than 80.
Captain Kohli wins No. 21
The Johannesburg win was India’s 21st in Tests under Virat Kohli’s captaincy, which puts him level with Sourav Ganguly in second place among India’s most winning captains. Only MS Dhoni, with 27 wins, is in front in terms of Test victories. Kohli has reached the mark in just 35 Tests, compared to Ganguly’s 49.