CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — With signs of bad blood between them, Test cricket’s leading teams head for a series-deciding third test in Cape Town, starting tomorrow.

India powered back into contention in the three-match contest against South Africa — and revived hopes of an historic first-ever series win in the country — with an 87-run victory in the second Test in Durban this week. They lost the first match by an innings.

India’s win at Kingsmead was inspired by good, aggressive fast bowling from Zaheer Khan and Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, but Sreesanth’s sledging of South Africa captain Graeme Smith has now ensured that an already-dramatic decider will be even more fiercely contested.

Smith refused to say after the match what Sreesanth’s comments were, but they have been criticised as personal insults by the South Africans and have added some spite to the rivalry between the teams ranked number one and number in the Test standings.

And, for the second time in successive series, the teams now face a crunch New Year game at Newlands — Smith’s home ground.

When India last toured the country, in 2006-07, the countries played out a New Year decider in Cape Town, which the Proteas took to clinch a fourth successive home series triumph over India.

Then, South Africa rebounded from a first Test defeat to win the next two games in Durban and Cape Town for a come-from-behind 2-1 series win over an Indian team containing Sreesanth.

This time, the momentum is swinging the other way.

The top-ranked India fought back after their heavy loss in Centurion in the opener and the home team are now under fire after they were outplayed in the Indians’ series-levelling triumph — and their much-praised batting line-up failed.

No South African batsman made a half-century in the match, with Ashwell Prince’s second-innings 39 not out the best performance. Smith conceded it was South Africa’s batsmen — who racked up 620-4 declared in the first match — who were at fault for the defeat.

“It’s the first time in a long time that our batters have let us down,” Smith said. “I thought India created a lot of pressure on us. Credit to India for bouncing back after the first Test. That’s why they are the number one team in the world and it bodes well for the third match,” said Smith.

India have their sights set on their first series success in five attempts in the country after the Durban win — just their second in 14 Tests in South Africa — rejuvenated the tourists and confirmed their number one Test ranking. South Africa could have overtaken India if they won the series 3-0.

After an innings and 25-run loss at the hands of a rampant South Africa in the first game, India found their way back with aggressive bowling, which is normally South Africa’s strength.

Quicks Zaheer Khan and Sreesanth and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh led India’s charge to victory inside four days in the second Test as India rebounded from being bowled out for 136 in the first innings of the series to skittle South Africa for 131 and 215 and send it to its third consecutive loss in Durban.

South African batsman Jacques Kallis is fit to play after x-rays on his left hand — after he was hit on the glove and dismissed by a brilliant Sreesanth bouncer in Durban — only revealed bruising.