India vs South Africa: 3 observations from Day Three in Cape Town

Tempers flared as the third Test match between India and South Africa continued to ebb and flow. Heading into Day 4, the hosts need 111 more runs to win and have eight wickets in hand.

Earlier in the day, Rishabh Pant played an absolutely smashing innings on a difficult surface to notch up a hundred. Courtesy of this innings, the visitors set South Africa 212 runs to win. Virat Kohli resisted for two sessions but went after a full delivery outside the off-stump and nicked it behind.

There was no support for Pant as the brittle middle-order faltered again. South Africa's bowling attack extracted a lot of assistance from the surface and continued to put pressure on the visitors.

Here are 3 observations from Day Three of the final Test of the series between India and South Africa:

#3 Rishabh Pant responds in style

Rishabh Pant slammed a superb century for India

The Indian wicket-keeper batter copped a lot of criticism for his 'reckless' stroke in the second innings in Johannesburg. However, Pant showed a lot of restraint in the first innings here in the third Test. When the pressure increased on the visitors, he played perhaps his finest innings.

Pant's innings was aggressive and it was calculated - he put on a solid partnership with captain Virat Kohli and then managed the tail brilliantly to notch up his century. Had it not been for the meager returns from the lower order, Pant looked solid to drag his side to a more competitive total.

With this century, Rishabh Pant became the first designated wicketkeeper from Asia to score a century in South Africa in Test matches. The fact that the visitors are still in the contest is primarily due to the fact that Pant scored more than half the runs.

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#2 Abject failure of the Indian middle-order

Ajinkya Rahane continued to struggle for India

Only Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant offered any sort of resistance to the onslaught from the South Africa bowling unit. The rest of the batting order did not have any answers to the pace and bounce that confronted them on Day Three.

Cheteshwar Pujara failed to add to his overnight score and was strangled down the leg side with a snorter from Marco Jansen. As he trudged off, he held the record for the batter to be dismissed the most number of times without adding to the overnight score.

Ajinkya Rahane had no luck either and his wicket was accounted for by Kagiso Rabada. This could well be the last time Rahane features in a Test match for India for some time.

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#1 Dubious DRS and Keegan Petersen's efforts

Keegan Petersen was solid for South Africa

There was controversy late in the day when Dean Elgar was saved by the DRS. Ashwin trapped Elgar in front of the stumps and he was given out by the on-field umpire Marais Erasmus. However, to everyone's surprise, the ball seemed to bounce well over the stumps. Elgar was let off the hook, which infuriated the visitors.

It did not come back to cost the visitors as Bumrah strangled Elgar in the final over of the day. However, Keegan Petersen continued to impress and he looked all business on a track where almost all the other batters struggled. Petersen remained unbeaten on 48 and will be key to South Africa's chances on Day Four.