Ashwin breaks string of records in Nagpur Test

Nagpur: Here are some statistical highlights from the third Test between India and South Africa at Nagpur, which the hosts won convincingly by 124 runs.

After playing 15 unbeaten Test series away from home during the last nine years, South Africa have lost their first overseas series as India are leading by 2-0 with just one Test to go.

The Nagpur win is the fourth in 9 Tests under Virat Kohli's captaincy - winning % 44.44 (lost two and drawn three).

India have won successive series under Virat's leadership - 2-1 vs Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka in 2015 and 2-0 (leading) vs South Africa in 2015-16 in India.

India have registered their third Test series win over South Africa - the first two being by 2-1 in India in 1996-97 and 1-0 in 2004-05

India's 124-run superb win is their second biggest by runs margin vs South Africa behind the 280-run victory at Kanpur in December 1996.

India have won three Tests and lost one out of five played at Jamtha, Nagpur (drawn one). Against South Africa, India have won one and lost one out of two played at this venue.

With his single-digit scores (0 & 9) in the Nagpur Test, Abraham de Villiers, for the first time, is averaging less than 40 against India - his tally being 1038 at an average of 39.92 in 16 Tests. Overall in Tests, he is averaging 51.51.

Ravichandran Ashwin (7/66) has produced his best bowling performance in Tests, bettering the 7 for 103 vs Australia at Chennai in February 2013.

Ashwin's 15th instance of five wickets or more in an innings in Tests is his third vs South Africa.

For the fourth time in a Test match, Ashwin has captured ten wickets or more in a Test match - once each vs New Zealand, South Africa, Australia and Sri Lanka.

Ashwin's figures of 12 for 98 vs South Africa are his second best in a Test match behind the 12 for 85 vs New Zealand at Hyderabad in August 2012.

Ravichandran Ashwin, for the first time, has captured 50 wickets in a calendar year. He is the seventh Indian bowler to do so, joining Anil Kumble (thrice), Harbhajan Singh (thrice), Kapil Dev (twice), Vinoo Mankad, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Zaheer Khan.

Ashwin, with 55 wickets at 17.81 runs apiece in eight matches, is the top wicket-taker in Tests this year, surpassing Stuart Broad's tally of 51 (ave.25.09) in 13 Tests.

Ashwin's previous best tally in a calendar year was 41 (ave.22.51) in seven Tests in 2013.

Ashwin, with 24 wickets at an average of 10.75 in three Tests, has established a record for most wickets in a Test series involving South Africa and India, eclipsing the 21 (ave.17.47) by Dale Steyn in three Tests in 2010-11 in South Africa.

Ashwin has got his fourth fourth Man of the Match award in Tests - his first vs South Africa.

Ashwin's bowling average of 18.35 is the best among the four Indian bowlers with 100 wickets or more in a winning cause in Tests - his tally being 107 in 15 Tests. The other three bowlers with 100 wickets are - Anil Kumble - 288 (ave.18.75) in 43 Tests, Harbhajan Singh - 221 (ave.22.76) in 42 Tests and Zaheer Khan - 149 (ave.25.77) in 38 Tests.

Ashwin's figures of 7 for 66 are the best by an Indian bowler vs South Africa in Tests, surpassing Harbhajan Singh's 7 for 87 at Kolkata in November 2004. .

Ashwin's match figures of 12 for 98 are also the best by an Indian bowler vs South Africa in a Test match, surpassing the 10 for 153 by Venkatesh Prasad at Durban in December 1996.

Faf du Plessis (39) has posted his highest score of the current series, surpassing the 10 in the first innings of the Nagpur Test.

For the fourth time, the Indian spinners have taken 20 wickets in a Test match - the first three being vs England at Chennai in 1972-73; vs New Zealand at Auckland in 1975-76 and vs Australia at Chennai in 2012-13.

Indian bowlers are averaging 14.85 in the series while claiming 49 wickets - their best ever average in two or more Tests in a series.

For the eighth time in a Test match, eight or more batsmen have managed runs between 30 and 40 - the last instance being in the 2010-11 Sydney Test between Australia and England.

For the 14th time in a result-oriented Test, not even a single fifty has been registered.