This was India's fourth defeat in the last six Tests at home and in all four Tests -- including three against New Zealand -- their batters have flopped against spin.
South Africa spinner Keshav Maharaj believes his team deserves to lift the World Test Championship trophy after their consistent performances throughout the cycle.
'The RSS, that advocated military strength, remained in the ideological doghouse for over half a century. Many of the RSS' responses even today carry the burden of this past,' points out Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
Maharaj feels some adjustment and a change in mindset could help them combat the swing.
At stumps, Pakistan's score read 145/3 with Fawad and Babar unbeaten on 42 and 77 runs respectively. For South Africa, Keshav Maharaj picked two, Anrich Nortje took one while Kagiso Rabada went wicketless.
Morne Morkel makes a return to the limited-overs format after nearly 10 months, adding experience to the pace bowling group featuring Kagiso Rabada, Wayne Parnell, Chris Morris, Dwaine Pretorius and Andile Phehlukwayo.
The series promises a fascinating duel between the two modern-day pace greats.
The home side were in the game at 107 for three when left-arm spinner Maharaj (5-36) claimed the scalp of Kieran Powell (51), who tried to launch him to the midwicket boundary but picked out lone fielder Anrich Nortje.
Drugs ban gives Rabada extra motivation for WTC final, says the Proteas captain
'Bosch is new to the international scene, but he's really fit in well. To see him conquer both facets (bat and ball) in this Test was really special.'
South Africa's spin frailties were laid bare once again as the tourists collapsed for 124 to concede a first innings lead of 214 runs at Colombo's Sinhalese Sports Club Ground.
In the bowling rankings, Keshav Maharaj and Matt Henry have broken into the top five
Maharaj sustained an injury to his right shoulder while fielding on Day 2 of the second match
Former No. 1-ranked Test batter Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja would open the innings for Australia in the WTC final against South Africa while the fit-again Cameron Green would bat at the No. 3 position.
Debutants Afghanistan will aim to continue their impressive rise in white-ball cricket, while South Africa will once again attempt to shed the 'chokers' tag when the two sides kick-off their Champions Trophy campaign in Karachi on Friday.
South Africa picked an experienced 15-man squad for next month's Champions Trophy in Pakistan with 10 players having competed at the last World Cup in India in late 2023.
New Zealand and South Africa, both laden with world-class talent but often falling short in ICC tournaments, will face off in a tightly contested Champions Trophy semifinal.
Heinrich Klaasen will captain South Africa in three Twenty20 matches against Pakistan next week.
Going into the decider in Bengaluru on Sunday, the momentum is with India. Maharaj said the team is looking forward to the challenge.
South Africa thrashed Bangladesh by an innings and 273 runs to secure a 2-0 series sweep after enforcing the follow on and dismissing the hosts for 143 on day three of the second Test
South African spinner Keshav Maharaj has said that the thought of playing the World Cup in India last year was extra motivation for him to deal with his Achilles tendon injury and he would have been "shattered" if he was unable to make it.
Aiden Markram will replace Temba Bavuma as South Africa captain for the first Test against Bangladesh later this month, Cricket South Africa said on Friday.
From 'hope to history': Cricketing world explodes with joy as SA finally win major ICC title
Injury blow hit the South African camp as Anrich Nortje was ruled out of the second Test against West Indies.
South Africa have picked the uncapped duo of batter Ryan Rickelton and seamer Ottniel Baartman in their 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup
South African captain Temba Bavuma has said that the ICC Champions Trophy is a bigger challenge than the 50-over World Cup because the lesser number of matches makes it tough for teams to make a comeback.
South Africa's most experienced spinner Keshav Maharaj wants to be as consistent as the seasoned Indian duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin during the upcoming three-Test series.
Spinner Keshav Maharaj took five wickets as South Africa secured a 109-run victory over Sri Lanka on the last day of the second Test.
Australia took the upper hand in the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord's, ending day two on 144-8 in their second innings with a lead of 218 runs after wickets tumbled freely again on Thursday.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the WTC Final between Australia and South Africa at Lord's on Wednesday
South Africa have rested batter Temba Bavuma for their home white-ball series against India this month after a poor Cricket World Cup, but he will captain the team in the two-Test series which starts on Dec. 26.
West Indies will need their all-round firepower against a rampaging South Africa in their must-win final Super Eight clash.
Middle order batsman Mehidy Hasan Miraz led a Bangladesh fight back with an unbeaten 87 on the third day of the first Test against South Africa on Wednesday to turn a precarious position into a tight contest.
Keshav Maharaj claimed a career-best eight for 116 to prevent Sri Lanka from making the most of a strong start and limiting them to 277 for nine on the opening day of the second and final Test on Friday.
Pat Cummins tore through South Africa before a Proteas fightback left the ICC World Test Championship Final 2025 on a knife-edge at the end of an absorbing second day at Lord's.
South Africa require five wickets and Sri Lanka need 143 runs as the second Test heads for a potentially exciting conclusion
Sanju Samson continued his dream run in T20I cricket, smashing his second consecutive century in the first match of the series against South Africa at Kingsmead, in Durban on Friday night.
Uncapped spinners Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi were named in South Africa's squad for next month's three-match test series in Australia on Monday as the Proteas seek to exploit a perceived weaknesses in their hosts' batting. Faf du Plessis will again captain the team in the absence of injured AB de Villiers after leading the side in the two-test series against New Zealand last month, which they won 1-0. "Basically, we are following a horses for courses policy as we feel that spinners who turn the ball away from the right-hander are going to be particularly useful under Australian conditions and against the test batsmen we are likely to face," selector Linda Zondi said in a statement.
The Proteas are not expected to tinker with their four-pronged pace attack comprising Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen and Ottneil Baartmen that has served them well in the tournament so far with Keshav Maharaj taking on the spin duties.
South Africa are within touching distance of a place in next June's World Test Championship final at Lord's but must win at least one of their two Tests against Pakistan
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