Jansen rattles Indian batting as South Africa eye series win in 2nd test

 

India narrowly escaped the humiliation of a follow-on on home soil — and, ironically, it was South African captain Temba Bavuma who saved Rishabh Pant’s team from that embarrassment. Otherwise, the flawed strategies of captain Pant and coach Gautam Gambhir might well have led to India facing the indignity of a follow-on at home against South Africa.

In Guwahati, India’s innings folded for just 201 runs, on the same pitch where South Africa had piled up 489. Marco Jansen first scored a brilliant 93, then returned to take six wickets, dismantling India’s batting. Yet, it would be unfair to blame the pitch — Kuldeep Yadav survived 134 balls, proving that grit, not conditions, made the difference. Across batting, bowling, leadership and even fielding, India were thoroughly outplayed by Bavuma’s men.

South Africa, with a 288-run lead, came out to bat again and finished Day 3 at 26, stretching their advantage to 314 runs.

The irony deepened when Pant had described the pitch as “like a road” — a flat deck — in the Day 1 press conference. But India’s star-studded lineup crashed on that very “road.” The problem wasn’t the pitch; it was India’s inability to handle pace and bounce. While Eden Gardens had exposed their vulnerability to spin, here it was Jansen’s pace and lift that caused havoc.

Kuldeep (19) survived through patience — something both Dhruv Jurel and Pant failed to show. Washington Sundar (48) fought hard too, though the team management’s decision to bat him at No.3 in one Test and No.8 in another remains baffling. Sai Sudharsan’s instinct to hit everything in the air cost him again, as he managed only 15. Ravindra Jadeja was unlucky — the ball clipped his shoulder, deflected onto the bat, and resulted in a catch — but his awkward response to Jansen’s bounce was still questionable. Markram took a stunning catch to dismiss Nitish Kumar Reddy, but Reddy’s vulnerability to pace was obvious. Among India’s batters across both Tests, only Yashasvi Jaiswal has managed a half-century.

India did start well with Jaiswal & Rahul batting solidly before Rahul succumbled to the spin of Maharaj , caught by Markram for 22 . 

Jaiswal (58) completed a fine 50 - the first by an Indian in the series . He was batting flawlessly till a ball from Harmer jumped awkwardly to defeat Jaiswal's attempted cut & the resultant  catch was taken by Jansen at gully .  The middle order as explained above failed to resist . 

For the record, India last faced a follow-on at home in 2010, also against South Africa. Gautam Gambhir, now India’s coach, was then the opener. Chasing South Africa’s 558/6 declared, India were bowled out for 233 and eventually lost by an innings and 6 runs.

This time, India may have avoided that shame, but a bigger question remains:
Can India avoid a whitewash in this Test series?