NEW DELHI: Skipper Rishabh Pant could not withstand the testing nature of a worn fifth day surface as off spinner Simon Harmer once again turned into India’s tormentor, using turn and sharp bounce to push South Africa to the brink of a historic series sweep after 25 years.

The target of 549 was never realistic, but India’s grind to 90 for 5 at tea underlined how much more comfortable Harmer (4 for 23 in 19 overs) looked compared to Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja across the match.

The Barsapara pitch has been one of the best recently seen in India, offering enough for batters with sound technique, rewarding pacers who hit the right lengths, and giving spinners plenty to work with.

After taking eight wickets in Kolkata, Harmer has already claimed seven in this Test and seems poised for more.

Sai Sudharsan (14 not out from 138 balls) survived three clear chances, including a straightforward leg before off Harmer on day four.

He was caught behind only for Marco Jansen to overstep, another chance went down in the slips, and the left hander never looked settled at any point during the two hour session. His dismissal felt possible at every moment.

The only positive for India was that he managed to stay in.

In the morning session, Harmer broke through Kuldeep Yadav’s (5 off 38) defence after a stubborn half hour, and Dhruv Jurel (0) registered a pair in his maiden Test.

This time Harmer’s delivery drifted away and the tentative poke only provided Aiden Markram at slip with a routine catch.

Rishabh Pant launched Keshav Maharaj for a six but even he sensed the difficulty of survival.

Harmer then produced a ball that kicked up, and Pant’s awkward defence sent a catch off the shoulder of the bat to Markram.

Ravindra Jadeja (23 not out from 40) joined Sudharsan, striking Maharaj for a six over deep mid wicket, and the pair added 32 runs for the sixth wicket to drag the game a little longer.

(With PTI Inputs)