South Africa – by scoring 450/7 – made the third-highest total by any side in the fourth innings of a Test, after England’s 654/5 against South Africa at Durban in 1938-39 and New Zealand’s 451 against England at Christchurch in 2001-02. In doing so, they broke and established many new records.
Here’s a look at a few of them:
While on 279, it South Africa clocked their highest fourth-innings total against India, surpassing the 278 they made also at Wanderers in 2006-07.
While on 352, SA clocked the highest fourth-innings total at Wanderers, bettering England’s 351/5 in 1995-96.
While on 370, SA clocked the highest fourth-innings total by any side against India, eclipsing 369/6 by England in 2007.
While on 414, SA clocked the highest fourth-innings total in a first-class match at the Wanderers, beating the 413 scored by the Australians against Transvaal in 1966-67.
While on 424, South Africa clocked their highest fourth-innings total against any team, obliterating 423/7 they made against England at the Oval in 1947.
Zaheer Khan became the fourth Indian to claim 300 wickets in Test cricket when he had Jacques Kallis trapped lbw. Zaheer joined Anil Kumble (619), Kapil Dev (434) and Harbhajan Singh (413).
Zaheer is the third left-arm pacer to claim 300 wickets in Test cricket, after Pakistan’s Wasim Akram (414) and Sri Lanka’s Chaminda Vaas (355).
Faf du Plessis’ 134 is the highest individual score by any batsman against India in the fourth innings of a Test, expunging Duleep Mendis’ 124 at Kandy in 1985-86.
Faf du Plessis is the first South African to bat for more than six hours in the fourth innings of a Test on two occasions. On his Test debut, he batted for 7 hours 46 minutes against Australia at Adelaide in 2012-13, saving South Africa from a certain defeat even back then.
AB de Villiers (103) has now scored at least a 50 in 9 consecutive Tests (since November 2012). He now shares Jacques Kallis’ South African record of scoring half-centuries in most consecutive Tests. Kallis had done so in 2007. The all-time record is 11 – it is shared by Viv Richards, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir.
The 5th wicket partnership of 205 runs between du Plessis and de Villiers is the highest partnership for this wicket in the fourth innings of a Test, surpassing the 177 compiled by Bevan Congdon and Vic Pollard for New Zealand against England at Nottingham in 1973.
The drawn Test put an end to India’s streak of eight consecutive losses in away Tests. They had lost all four Tests against England in 2011 and also against Australia in 2011-12.
This is the first drawn Test at the Wanderers since 2000, when the South Africa-New Zealand Test ended in a draw. Since then, all 12 Tests played here had produced results.
