Published: Jan 27, 2018, 09:53 PM (IST)
Edited: Jan 27, 2018, 10:27 PM (IST)
India maintained their record at the Wanderers as they won the final Test of the Freedom Series. India posted a target of 241 on a dangerous track. The South African batting line-up tumbled after the loss of Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers in quick succession. However, Dean Elgar carried the bat through the innings as he remained unbeaten on 86. It was a dramatic Test where the cracks on the pitch widened on Day Three resulting in uneven bounce which proved dangerous to the batsmen. Murali Vijay and Virat Kohli were seen taking many blows in the Indian second innings. When a short-pitched ball by Jasprit Bumrah hit Elgar on the helmet, play had to be halted for a while on account of the pitch being dangerous, only to resume next morning.
| Player | Runs | Total | % | Team | Against | Venue | Season |
| Bernard Tancred | 26* | 47 | 55.30% | South Africa | England | Newlands | 1888-89 |
| Jack Barrett | 67* | 176 | 38.10% | Australia | England | Lord’s | 1890 |
| Bobby Abel | 132* | 307 | 43.00% | England | Australia | SCG | 1891-92 |
| Plum Warner | 132* | 237 | 55.70% | England | South Africa | Old Wanderers | 1898-99 |
| Warwick Armstrong | 159* | 309 | 51.50% | Australia | South Africa | Old Wanderers | 1902-03 |
| Billy Zulch | 43* | 103 | 41.70% | South Africa | England | Newlands | 1909-10 |
| Warren Bardsley | 193* | 383 | 50.40% | Australia | England | Lord’s | 1926 |
| Bill Woodfull | 30* | 66 | 45.50% | Australia | England | Exhibition Ground, Brisbane | 1928-29 |
| Bill Woodfull | 73* | 193 | 37.80% | Australia | England | Adelaide Oval | 1932-33 |
| Bill Brown | 206* | 422 | 48.80% | Australia | England | Lord’s | 1938 |
| Len Hutton | 202* | 344 | 58.70% | England | West Indies | The Oval | 1950 |
| Len Hutton | 156* | 272 | 57.40% | England | Australia | Adelaide Oval | 1950-51 |
| Nazar Mohammad | 124* | 331 | 37.50% | Pakistan | India | University Ground, Lucknow | 1952-53 |
| Frank Worrell | 191* | 372 | 51.30% | West Indies | England | Trent Bridge | 1957 |
| Trevor Goddard | 56* | 99 | 56.60% | South Africa | Australia | Newlands | 1957-58 |
| Jackie McGlew | 127* | 292 | 43.50% | South Africa | New Zealand | Kingsmead | 1961-62 |
| Conrad Hunte | 60* | 131 | 45.80% | West Indies | Australia | Queen’s Park Oval | 1964-65 |
| Glenn Turner | 43* | 131 | 32.80% | New Zealand | England | Lord’s | 1969 |
| Bill Lawry | 49* | 107 | 45.80% | Australia | India | Kotla | 1969-70 |
| Bill Lawry | 60* | 116 | 51.70% | Australia | England | SCG | 1970-71 |
| Glenn Turner | 223* | 386 | 57.80% | New Zealand | West Indies | Sabina Park | 1971-72 |
| Ian Redpath | 159* | 346 | 46.00% | Australia | New Zealand | Eden Park | 1973-74 |
| Geoff Boycott | 99* | 215 | 46.00% | England | Australia | WACA | 1979-80 |
| Sunil Gavaskar | 127* | 286 | 44.40% | India | Pakistan | Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad | 1982-83 |
| Mudassar Nazar | 152* | 323 | 47.10% | Pakistan | India | Gaddafi | 1982-83 |
| Sidath Wettimuny | 63* | 144 | 43.80% | Sri Lanka | New Zealand | Lancaster Park | 1982-83 |
| David Boon | 58* | 103 | 56.30% | Australia | New Zealand | Eden Park | 1985-86 |
| Desmond Haynes | 88* | 211 | 41.70% | West Indies | Pakistan | Karachi | 1986-87 |
| Graham Gooch | 154* | 252 | 61.10% | England | West Indies | Headingley | 1991 |
| Desmond Haynes | 75* | 176 | 42.60% | West Indies | England | The Oval | 1991 |
| Alec Stewart | 69* | 175 | 39.40% | England | Pakistan | Lord’s | 1992 |
| Desmond Haynes | 143* | 382 | 37.40% | West Indies | Pakistan | Queen’s Park Oval | 1992-93 |
| Mark Dekker | 68* | 187 | 36.40% | Zimbabwe | Pakistan | Rawalpindi | 1993-94 |
| Michael Atherton | 94* | 228 | 41.20% | England | New Zealand | Lancaster Park | 1996-97 |
| Gary Kirsten | 100* | 239 | 41.80% | South Africa | Pakistan | Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad | 1997-98 |
| Mark Taylor | 169* | 350 | 48.30% | Australia | South Africa | Adelaide Oval | 1997-98 |
| Grant Flower | 156* | 321 | 48.60% | Zimbabwe | Pakistan | Bulawayo | 1997-98 |
| Saeed Anwar | 188* | 316 | 59.50% | Pakistan | India | Eden Gardens | 1998-99 |
| Marvan Atapattu | 216* | 428 | 50.50% | Sri Lanka | Zimbabwe | Bulawayo | 1999-00 |
| Russel Arnold | 104* | 231 | 45.00% | Sri Lanka | Zimbabwe | Harare | 1999-00 |
| Javed Omar | 85* | 168 | 50.60% | Bangladesh | Zimbabwe | Bulawayo | 2000-01 |
| Virender Sehwag | 201* | 329 | 61.10% | India | Sri Lanka | Galle | 2008 |
| Simon Katich | 131* | 268 | 48.90% | Australia | New Zealand | The Gabba | 2008-09 |
| Chris Gayle | 165* | 317 | 52.10% | West Indies | Australia | Adelaide Oval | 2009-10 |
| Imran Farhat | 117* | 223 | 52.50% | Pakistan | New Zealand | Napier | 2009-10 |
| Rahul Dravid | 146* | 300 | 48.70% | India | England | The Oval | 2011 |
| Tino Mawoyo | 163* | 412 | 39.60% | Zimbabwe | Pakistan | Bulawayo | 2011 |
| David Warner | 123* | 233 | 52.80% | Australia | New Zealand | Bellerive Oval | 2011-12 |
| Cheteshwar Pujara | 145* | 312 | 46.50% | India | Sri Lanka | SSC | 2015 |
| Dean Elgar | 118* | 214 | 55.10% | South Africa | England | Kingsmead | 2015-16 |
| Kraigg Brathwaite | 142* | 337 | 42.10% | West Indies | Pakistan | Sharjah | 2015-16 |
| Alastair Cook | 244* | 491 | 49.70% | England | Australia | MCG | 2017-18 |
| Dean Elgar | 86* | 177 | 48.60% | South Africa | India | New Wanderers | 2017-18 |
It was the second time Elgar carried his bat through the innings, the first was against England where he was unbeaten on 118. He will surely rate this as one of his best innings because of the uncertainty in the track. He looked quite uncomfortable at the end of Day Three but managed to survive with wickets falling on the other end.
