The series is gone but it is a matter of pride for India to avoid a whitewash
it is also about bragging rights in a world where
it is the mark of a good side to lose less poorly away from home.
If there is any consolation, they are making this attempt at a venue that should inspire them:
the Wanderers is where they won a World T20 final
and also brought up their first Test win in this country. India have played four Tests at this venue, and have never lost.
The pitch at Wanderers is unmistakably green.
The head groudsman might be tempted to not shave any of the 6mm grass
because there is rain expected on every day of the Test.
The sun has beaten down in the lead-up to the Test to create some cracks,
but it has also helped the groundstaff roll the pitch nice and hard.
Hashim Amla is one catch short of becoming the fourth South African to 100 catches
as a fielder : joining Jacques Kallis, Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers.
The pressure is in making sure we keep their batsmen under pressure.
It's been a pretty quiet series for most of them and if we can keep doing that, we will change that stat."
Faf du Plessis hopes to consign India to their first defeat at the Wanderers
"As a team we are looking to correct all the mistakes that have happened, Wanderers has been a special venue for us
hopefully we can play the same kind of cricket"
The one quality that stood out in young Virat Kohli the batsman was that he always got better after a challenge. This is a captaincy challenge and it will be fascinating to see how he handles it. We can't rush into judgement just yet.