Chasing a target of 212, the Proteas are well-placed at 101/2 at the end of Day 3. Keegan Petersen batted brilliantly and remained unbeaten on 48. Though Mohammed Shami struck early with the wicket of Aiden Markram (16), Dean Elgar and Petersen batted well to build a solid partnership and took the momentum away from the hosts. Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Elgar (30) on the last ball of the day.
While the Proteas need 111-runs to win, India has to bag 8 wickets to win the decisive Test in Cape Town. Earlier, India was bowled out for a below-par score of 198. Rishabh Pant was the stand-out performer for India. The wicket-keeper batsman scored an excellent hundred under challenging conditions. Pant also became the first Asian wicket-keeper to score a Test ton in the Rainbow nation.
Struggling with the form, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane once again failed to impress with the bat. The duo was dismissed cheaply for single-digit scores. South African used the conditions well and continued to put pressure on India. However, Indian skipper Virat Kohli showed great temperament and put up a brilliant 95 runs stand with Pant. But Kohli failed to score big and went back for just 29.
Marco Jansen impressed all with his bowling and bagged his four wickets. Senior pacers Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi scalped three wickets each. Tied 1-1 in the three-match series, both teams will battle hard to win the third Test and clinch the series. Indian seamers have to take early wickets on Day 4 to stay in the contest.