Paul Harris is a character straight out of a gambling film based in Las Vegas. He says "perception is often reality" and batsmen perceive him to be an innocuous bowler, and that's where he says he gets his wickets. He played around with his own perception to become the most successful spinner in the match. His "innocuous" outside-the-leg line from over the stumps made him the most successful spinner in the match, and his wickets featured those of Sachin Tendulkar and M Vijay, the only men who looked like they could deny South Africa. Thanks to Harris, the fast bowlers didn't need to bust their gut in consigning India to their third innings defeat at home in the last 10 years - all three to the same opposition.

On a day that Graeme Smith went easy on his pace bowlers, Harris provided his captain with just what was required: control over run flow, main share of the overs bowled, and the big wickets. He came on to bowl as early as the fifth over of the day, and was the main bowler, bowling 31 overs for 64 runs and three wickets, the third being MS Dhoni's.

Given how Dhoni got out to Harris in the first innings, padding up and gloving one that kicked from the rough, the leg-line wasn't quite as defensive as it is perceived to be. Neither of the overnight batsmen, Tendulkar and Vijay, wanted to keep padding up to him for long. Tendulkar was more convincing in getting right to the pitch of the ball, and playing it out of the rough. The flick for four through midwicket early in the day stood out. Vijay kept Harris interested with the sweep, and finally one delivery found the top edge and then Morne Morkel at fine leg.

Eventually, just after Tendulkar had reached his hundred, Harris got one to bounce slightly more than expected, hit Tendulkar on the pad, then onto the elbow, and onto the stumps. Dhoni, too, 25 off 112, eventually got the one accurate delivery from Harris that made him play, got the inside edge onto the pad, and his first defeat as captain would come soon.