Five top plays from day 3 as Proteas goes 1-0 in series

The Proteas comprehensively thrashed India by an innings and 32 runs during the first Test in Centurion to take a 1-0 lead in the short two-match series that moves to Cape Town next week. 

TimesLIVE has identified the top five plays of the third day: 

FINAL FRONTIER 

Well it remains unconquered.

Let no one say this is loss that won’t hurt India.

Following so closely on that World Cup final defeat on home soil, a win here would have been a balm for that wound.

Now the best they can hope for is to match MS Dhoni’s 2010/11 side that drew a three-Test series, also after losing the first match at Centurion.

India has never won a Test in Cape Town.

OH DEAR ROHIT 

This was a dreadful match for the Indian captain.

He scored just five and nought - cleaned up by a gem of a delivery by Rabada in the second innings.  

He averages 12.80 in SA and as an opening batter in the toughest place in the world to do that job, it won’t get any easier in this series.

Tactically he was poor too.

The decision to start the second session on Wednesday with Krishna and Thakur gave SA a comfortable  start at a critical juncture in the match.  

CATCHING 

The Proteas were poor, dropping five catches, two in the first innings.

None of them were particularly hard either.

Shukri Conrad put it down to rustiness.

But it is certainly an area that needs work, SA’s bowling is too good to be let down by such sloppiness. 

TASTY BURGER  

Six wickets on debut, on a hat-trick at one stage too.

Kevin Pietersen may think he smiles too much, but smiling brings such reward, carry on Nandre.

It was a close call as to whether he’d play here with Lungi Ngidi having recovered from his ankle problem, although he wasn’t match fit to start.

Dare you drop Burger at his home ground for the second Test?  

DEAN 

What a match.

By the late afternoon the patrons in the main Grand Stand were chanting "Dean, Dean, Dean.”

It’s never been like this for one of the most unheralded figures in Proteas cricket.

He acknowledged being close to tears when SA wrapped up the win.

“The guys will really be up for it (at Newlands). There’s a series to be won. A series win is really special, especially against teams like India. We can then obviously send Dean off properly, that would put the cherry on the cake,” said Conrad.