NEW DELHI: India's red-hot spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will look to pile on the agony for South Africa in the final Test in New Delhi starting Thursday on a pitch expected to cause more problems for the tourists.
The 29-year-old has risen to number two in the world rankings following his heroics in last week's third Test in Nagpur when he recorded match figures of 12 for 98, giving India an unassailable 2-0 series lead.
Ashwin has taken 55 wickets since the start of the year, more than anyone else in Test cricket, and has been near unplayable on the rank turners that have bamboozled South Africa's stellar batting line-up.
"He is a world class spinner, probably the best in the world right now," India captain Virat Kohli said in the aftermath of Ashwin's performance in Nagpur.
"He's stepped up in a big way for us, even in (the last series against) Sri Lanka. He is one of the main reasons why we've been able to win back-to-back series."
Both India's victories in Nagpur and Mohali have been wrapped up inside three days, and South Africa were also bowled out cheaply in their only innings in the rain-affected second Test in Bangalore which was drawn.
The Proteas' most reliable batsmen, Hashim Amla and A B de Villiers, have managed one half century between them in the series while no one has made a century.
The likes of Dean Elgar, Stiaan van Zyl and Faf du Plessis, who are all on their first tour of India, have fared little better.
Amla has admitted that it has been a struggle for the batsmen in conditions he says have been some of the most challenging he has ever faced.
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