India vs South Africa, 2nd Test Day 4: IND 27/2 at stumps need 522 runs to win vs SA in Guwahati

That's stumps here in Guwahati. As it has happened before in the Test match, we had to go away quite early in the Test match. Regardless of the time and overs lost we still might have a result tomorrow, which is South Africa winning. It is not just the pitch but also the quality of South African bowling that is undoing the Indian batting. It will be a real test of mettle for this team and management tommorow if they can pull of a draw. Do join us we will be giving you all the updates.

The ball is spinning quite a bit here, unlike what happened when India bowled. One thing which has been pretty clear through the series South African seamers and spinners have defiently bowled lot better than what the Indian seamers or spinners could do.

It was a bit of a nothing shot from KL Rahul. With the amount of experience he has had in his Test career, only he can answer what he was trying to achieve there. And from a South African perspective, it is Simon Harmer again who did the damage. He has been quite magnificent through the series in Kolkata. He used the conditions available to him today here, there was not a lot to work with for him, hence he did the most of the damage in the air. Kuldeep Yadav has walked into the middle for India.

Well, Sai Sudharsan has walked into the middle. Regardless of what has happened in his Test career so far, this inning certainly if it helps in India getting a draw, should cement his place at number. While in his short career he did show a few technical flaws, such as misreading the length he still is quite young and can improve, but he needs that long rope to prove himself too. As we update, Simon Harmer has picked up KL Rahul. It was a nothing shot, his foot was nowhere near the ball to play that flick shot in the end, he just loosely moved his hands around, and the ball sneaked past his bat and pad to hit the stumps.

Well, we jinxed it. In the end, it was a bit of a nothing shot from Jaiswal. It was the cut shot he tried to play and got the edge, which the keeper took. The shot is a productive one for Jaiswal, but the line once again was not there; it was too close to the body. Sai Sudharsan has walked into the middle. If another wicket to fall today evening one might be wondering if India will look to send a night watchman instead of Dhruv Jurel, who batted at four in the first innings. Regardless Jansen has seven wickets in this game now.

Jaiswal has scored a few boundaries early in the piece here. He started well against Marco Jansen. This is a good positive start from Jaiswal, but he needs to get a big ton to keep India in this game. There have been occasions in the recent past where far too often he has thrown away the start he has got in the Test matches. As an opener, it is a very bad habit to get into. There will be deliveries early in the piece with always a name on it so it is important that once the opener gets a start they do convert and make it a massive score.

The approach will be the most interesting to see from the Indian side here. Yes they might come out after the day and say we might want to go after the score, but their actions will speak louder. So far apart from the upper-cut from Jaiswal there has not been too much of an intent shown by the Indian side. Whether they are looking to go for it or not, the first target for them here today will be not to lose too many wickets in this small passage. One wicket here in the next 10-15 minutes or so things can unravel quite quckly for them in this Test match.

Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul are in the middle. The sun is dipping here in Guwahati, it is one of those weird grounds where as the sun is going down, the half of the pitch is under the shadow and the other half has light in it, and there was an occasion in that previous over when Jaiswal could not pick the bumper. It is going to be quite a tricky period for India the way South Africa has bowled in this series so far they will back themselves to pick up a couple of wickets. Jansen espically has been in quite superb form.

Well, Ravindra Jadeja has got the wicket of Stubbs, who went into a bit of T20 mode to get to his ton, but eventually Jadeja has had the last laugh as he cleaned the stumps of Stubbs. Well, he has played quite superbly did Stubbs, but he could not get to the three-digit mark; nevertheless, it has been a very good innings. The ball is now in India's court. Winning is near impossible; the thing they have is to show some defiance and pull a draw, but that will still cost them the series, though. It is a no-win situation for India.

Well, we have had an injury to Mohammed Siraj here. He has walked off the field we are yet to know how serious it is. He dived across the turf to stop the ball and injured his shoulder or elbow, which is not clear, and the physio has come and had to give him special attention. And as we update, Rishabh Pant seems to be getting a bit of treatment here. This is where India has to be a bit careful because all of these players have been on the field for a very long time, and there might be injuries that can happen.

Tristian Stubbs has shown some signs of aggression here. He has smacked one down the ground against Nitish Kumar Reddy, which went for a boundary, and he followed it up with another hoik on the leg-side, which he missed. It does seem like Stubbs is eyeing a three-digit mark here. During the break, there must have been a time of sorts given to him before they want him to get his ton before they bowl again. Having said that, the way things have gone today, one might wonder does South Africa actually wants to declare today?

Wiaan Mulder and Tristian Stubbs have started the session, and once again, the way the first 10 balls have gone in this session, there has not been a lot of urgency from their end. They have started the same way the way they have batted in the noon session. As per India, they have brought in Nitish Kumar Reddy into the attack with the ball for the first time this innings. It might be a ploy to slow down the game for a bit, and also just let him have a bowl and see if he can use the tricks up his sleeve.

We are back for the final session of the day. It is quite surprising that South Africa has yet to declare. They are way ahead in this game, but still, they seem like they want to bat a bit longer and keep India out on the field for a bit longer. Now it is really interesting to see when they are going to make that decision of declaring the South Africans.

She calls him “freedom baby” because he was born in 1994, the year apartheid ended in South Africa. And on Sunday, minutes after he strode to a landmark in the land of her forefathers, Vani Moodley changed her WhatsApp profile picture to show her son, Senuran Muthusamy, celebrating.

When Senuran was approaching his hundred on the second day of the India-South Africa match at Guwahati — the first ever Test at the venue — Vani was travelling to Durban from Ghana where she had gone on a business trip. “I watched him bat till stumps yesterday, and it was around 2.30 am India time when I was on the flight out from Ghana,” says Vani, speaking to The Indian Express. (Read more from Lalith Kalidas)

Test matches can look very different from Marco Jansen’s vantage of roughly seven feet. It could even prove a disadvantage if he can’t hit the off stump as often as he likes.

“I’m still jealous of people that get the ball to squat and nip back,” he confessed before the media on Monday. “Like a different bowler, that’s hitting top-of-off, for example. I’ve always been jealous of those people who are a bit shorter than me.” (Read more)

When Rishabh Pant pranced down the pitch at Marco Jansen’s spongy length ball in the second over after Tea, his irritated remark to Kuldeep Yadav from the previous day popped back into discussion, in a more perplexing context.

“Mazak bana rakha hai Test cricket ko (you guys have made Test cricket a joke),” the stand-in captain had bellowed on Sunday when Kuldeep was fiddling with the field at the start of an over, courting the danger of a third time-wasting warning and potential penalty runs. (READ MORE FROM LALITH KALIDAS)

That's lunch on Day 4. India has managed to pick up one wicket of De Zorzi, who tried to sweep the ball and was trapped in front of the wicket. Apart from that, it was pretty smooth sailing for South Africa. Tristian Stubbs has managed to get to 50. He has batted quite well. Wiaan Mulder has walked in, and there was an expectation that he might take on the bowling that did not happen either. For India, it was all spin in the session. The only question that remains in this game now is when South Africa will declare the innings. We have two hours post lunch break and a full day tomorrow, do they think that is excessive? The way they are batting there just doesn't seem to be any urgency. Do stay with us, we will be right back after the break.

Lalith Kalidas: Only once before has a team put on a 500+ target for India in India in history. Australia recorded a massive 543-run target for India in Nagpur in 2004 and went onto win by a colossal 342 runs - the biggest margin of victory by a team against India in India.

Ravindra Jadeja has bowled quite well in this innings. He has been tighter onto the stumps and has managed to pick three wickets. He is one of those bowlers who is extremely lethal when the batter is just new in the crease, hence often once he gets into a rhythm and is settled into a spell, we see him picking up 3-4 wickets on a run. But this has been a different wicket, and South Africa has been quite solid with their defence. He has not been able to create as many breakthroughs as he would like to have.

Tristian Stubbs has gone past the half-century mark here. It is quite a different side of him we have seen today. Usually, he is quite an attacking player in the white-ball versions, but in this innings, he has shown he has the defence to play the spinners and the concentration ability and temperament to handle the pressure situations as well. However, one thing that might count against this innings for him is that these have come when South Africa have been way ahead in this game. Nevertheless, now the only question here is when South Africa will declare.

Kuldeep Yadav has bowled a long spell in this afternoon's session. He was seen holding his hamstring for a brief moment in the previous over. If there is something, it might be the right time they take him out of the attack, as the game is just at a standstill right now. Pant might consider bringing back Mohammed Siraj in for a spell to just give his spinners a bit of a break. While Kuldeep might not be expected to contribute a lot with the bat but for Sundar and Jadeja, their batting will be quite vital in the second innings of the Test match if India are looking to draw.

Ravindra Jadeja has picked up his third wicket. He tried to play a sweep shot and perished. To be fair to him, it was quite a productive shot for him through the day, but on that occasion, he misread the length from Jadeja; it was not a good length one, but rather a fuller one, which did the damage. Wiaan Mulder is the new batter who has walked into the middle for South Africa. He is quite a handy batter is Mulder, and we might see him going for a few big shots and accelerate the scoring rate.

Although it is the first Test match at this venue, the wicket has played quite well. On Day 1, the ball did seam around in that first hour, and then the batters who have spent time in the middle had the opportunity to score, and on Day 3, it was assisting the spinners a touch, not a lot, but enough and today there is something to work for the spinners a bit more than yesterday. So it has been a pretty fair wicket, unlike the Kolkata one, which was turning and bouncing indifferently from Day 1 in the first Test.

India could not pick up a wicket in this hour, and it has been all South Africa. Both Stubbs and De Zorzi have ground out the Indian attack. Will we see some fireworks post-drinks break? We will see. As per the Indian bowler, they have yet again looked a bit toothless in this session after bowling so well in that morning session. We have not seen Washington Sundar being used by Rishabh Pant in this session, who was getting into some sort of bowling rhythm in that morning session. While Kuldeep Yadav did look good but he has not threatened either side of the edge of the batters.

This has been a nice partnership between Stubbs and De Zorzi, the pace at which Stubbs has scored aside, but the way the South Africans have batted in this Test match is a masterclass they have given on how to play against India. Regardless of how many bowlers the opposition has, if you spend time and take the initial sting out of the attack by countering those intial spells, batting will get easier, and bowlers will get tired, and that is what has happened to India through this Test match, and that is what the Indian batting could not manage to do against the South African bowling.

Tristian Stubbs has all the talent in the world, and he has a terrific first-class record, but for some reason, we have not seen the manifestation of those runs in international cricket yet. He has looked solid, but at times in this series, he has given the impression of being too cautious. Yes it is important to respect the bowler and format, but he is far superiorly talented to play this way if he can pull of an attacking shot from time to time to put the pressure back on the bowlers, which might help him finding that right tempo for Test cricket as of now, it does seem like he is going a bit on the slower side.

Things have come to a standstill here. The overs are passing by scoreboard is ticking, but there is no urgency from either side. For India, they would love the overs getting ticked by because it will mean for them it will be less time to bat, but for South Africa, they have to make their overs count. The wicket too seems to be playing a few more tricks than it has done before. The delivery from Kuldeep Yadav in the previous over has kept quite low. We might see more and more of this happen as the day goes on.

More than the all-rounders vs specialists debate, it is important that India gets clarity on the role each player has to play in the side. Yes, Ravindra Jadeja is a gun all-rounder, Washington Sunder is a rare talent, but it is important to define the roles. It is not always plausible for a player to manage both their skills, like Jacques Kallis, there is only one of them in world cricket. In addition to that, it is important that they get the batting numbers of the players right. In T20S, flexibility works, but in Test matches, players need set numbers.

The lead for South Africa has now gone past 400 here. They are in a superb position to force the issue, but for some reason, which only they can explain, they have been trying to play it a bit safe still. If one is a South African fan, the innings of Stubbs' innings are a bit baffling at this point. He is quite an attacking player, but he has not unleashed his shots yet. Given the situation, there might be no better time, and the harder they go, if that does come off, the Indian shoulders will drop further. Strange batting this from the visitors.

We are back, while it might sound a tad bit strange, but that is how this Test match has been going: 20 minutes first break and a 40-minute one later. So here we are it will be intresting to listen to players thoughts on how they had adapt to these changes through the course of the Test match.

When Rishabh Pant pranced down the pitch at Marco Jansen’s spongy length ball in the second over after Tea, his irritated remark to Kuldeep Yadav from the previous day popped back into discussion, in a more perplexing context.

“Mazak bana rakha hai Test cricket ko (you guys have made Test cricket a joke),” the stand-in captain had bellowed on Sunday when Kuldeep was fiddling with the field at the start of an over, courting the danger of a third time-wasting warning and potential penalty runs. (READ MORE FROM LALITH KALIDAS)

That's a Tea break here in Guwahati. South Africa has further extended their dominance in the game. Although India has bowled better, it does seem like that spell from Sundar and Jadeja has come a bit too late. They have found the right pace eventually. As per South African batting, they could have been a bit more attacking than what we have witnessed. Whenever they looked to force the issue they ended up losing a wicket. We will be right back after the break do stay with us to witness all the action.

De Zorzi has started well here. He is looking to attack the Indian bowlers, which is more likely given the dominant position South Africa is in. From the Indian perspective, it is also a good opportunity to force the issue here.

Post Tea, South Africa should be looking to accelerate a bit more. We have just seen De Zorzi hitting a six. That is the aggression South Africa needs if they are pushing for a win. While they have done most things right in this game at this point, it does seem like they are being a bit reactive. As per India they have bowled a lot better today compared to what they did in the first innings. Spinners espically have got the pace right altough Jadeja contiues to bowl at a quicker pace he did his thing to enforce wickets.

Washington Sundar has picked up Temba Bavuma here. It was a similar dismissal to how he got out at Kolkata when Kuldeep Yadav turned back one in and trying to give it a deft touch, Bavuma ended up giving a simple catch to leg-slip, and this time it was Washington Sundar who seemed to have beaten him in the dip, and Bavuma tried to play one on the leg-side, and the catch carried to the leg-slip Nitish Kumar Reddy. South Africa have not lost three it might be a bit late but does seem like the Indian spinners have finally found the right pace for this wicket.

Temba Bavuma has walked into the middle, and Tristan Stubbs has faced 26 deliveries for his 6 as we update. At some point, the Saffers need to change the gear. It is a bit puzzling to understand what South Africa's plan is. Yes they are in a dominant position and they are going to be likely winners but with the pace at which they are scoring it will leave the door open for India to draw this game given how good this wicket is still to bat on. Ideally they would want themselves to bat an hour or so after lunch and declare the innings.

The wicket continues to play in quite a contrasting way when compared to what has happened in the Indian innings. Mostly, it has to do with the way Marco Jansen has bowled. He seemed to have a method on how to squeeze wickets on this surface. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj are quite good bowlers, but they have not been able to get that bounce which Jansen gets naturally. As we update Jadeja picks Markram. The ball pitches, turns away and hits the top of the off-stump; that is a classic left-arm spinner's delivery.

We have reached the first water break although India has picked up the game, given where this game is at the moment, it has to be South Africa's passage. It will be interesting to see when South Africa will decide to pull the plug and go after the bowling. The lead has as of now ,already been a good one, and they would want another 100 runs just to be on the safe side. The wicket is still pretty good to bat on while India might not be able chase the total if they are willing to draw it with a bit of application they can do it.

Washington Sundar has been bowling slower through the air today. He must have picked it up from the likes of Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj. This is where the Indians will miss the likes of Ashwin, who picked up the right pace to bowl on a wicket pretty quickly. He did have his moments early in his career against the England side when Alastair Cook churned out runs, but eventually he adapted beautifully to different wickets. While Sundar is a very gifted off-spinner, he is at a crossroads. Will he want to be a bowler who can bat a bit or a better who will bowl?

Ravindra Jadeja has picked up the first wicket here. It was a full shot, and the error Rickelton made was to drive the ball over the top, and Mohammed Siraj, fielding at cover took a lovely catch diving upwards. Much-needed breakthrough for India. There have been a few chirps, but for the majority of it the body language has been quite flat from them. Regardless of where this game is at this point in time India has to keep believing that they are going to squeeze something out of this game from here on.

This is another solid opening stand for South Africa in this series. Time and again in home games, India have not been able to create that breakthrough initially. Even during the England series, it was a feature; however, as they lost Tests at home, the flaw seems to now come to the forefront. Markram and Rickelton have put on another 50-run stand here. It has been simple basic cricket soft hands rotate strike and wait for the poor delivery which has been coming from time to time for India.

Deep Das Gupta on Air would mention about lack of direction in this new Indian side, which is pretty true. Although the side is in transition, there needs to be some method one can see which team is taking, but as of now the batting order seems to be unstable, and the bowling, apart from Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah seems to be lacking that extra bit. The only player spinner who has done some remarkable consistent things in this side is Axar Patel who is playing as an all rounder what would this team give to have a seasoned spinner like Simon Harmer from the Ranji squad.

One must be wondering how much this has to do with the captaincy. Although Shubman Gill is still early days of his captaincy, he did show that natural instinct of going for the kill as a captain if and when needed. Altough Rishabh Pant does have a few clever moves up sleeve he is not used to red-ball captaincy at this level and in the first innings when South Africa where going after the Indian team he did look a bit clueless.

Indian seamers or bowlers, per se, once again have looked a tad bit less effective than what we have seen with the South African seamers. It must have to do with the height of Marco Jansen, who has done the damage in the first innings. Both Mohammad Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah, although they have their strengths but are not tall bowlers; it does seem like one of those surfaces where tall bowlers could have been really handy. The likes of Prasidh might have created what Jansen could.

The sun is shining today, unlike yesterday when things were a bit gloomy. This is about the weather. It is hard for India to get anything except a draw from this game. For them, it is just showing the right attitude with the ball initially, and then coming later and seeing what they can do with the bat.

There’s obviously nice pace and bounce in the wicket. Not a lot of nip or swing, a little bit here at the end. Once we saw there was a bit of bounce and better pace in the wicket, we tried to utilize that. (Contributing in all departments) I just want to be like you, Shaun. Obviously a good day for the chaps and for myself in particular. But yeah, I feel the spinners did a really good job when the ball wasn’t moving as much and there was a dead period at some stage. I really feel the spinners did a brilliant job and I’m just lucky to be the one who cashed in. Who said we didn’t fight hard? Like I said, there was a bit of pace and bounce in the wicket, which was nice. We did think we were probably going to field, or we were preparing to field, for at least two days. The boys did a really good job today. (After getting out in the 90s) I took most of the steam off last night. Today was just all about trying to do a job for the team, which I’m glad I did. (About the pitch) I still think it’s a good wicket. The ball is starting to turn now and then the ball is holding up a little bit. So I think the spinners are definitely going to come into play more in the second innings, probably tomorrow and the day after.

“I see myself as an all-rounder, so I try to contribute where I can towards the team’s cause, whether it be bowling spin on the field or with the bat. I just try to add as much value as I can.” Muthusamy was all praise for Kyle Verreynne and Marco Jansen for their contrasting but effective batting performance on Sunday.

“With Kyle this morning, it was against a new ball and obviously with a nine o’clock start, we expected it to be really tough and for them to really test us and they did.

“So, I thought he batted really, really well. That was an awesome partnership to really set up the innings. And Marco (Jansen) was sublime when he came in.

“He may bowl it slower or quicker but the arm-speed seems the same,” said Panesar. “His position is really good and he trusts that process. His lines are quite attacking, that’s why he troubled Indian batsmen. Normally overseas spinners get a bit defensive in their lines and lengths, which is what Indian batsmen want. But Harmer’s not afraid.”

“The thumb keeps the seam upright and gives more over-spin. When the ball bounces, if it hits the seam, you may get a bit more bounce or sharp turn,” Panesar told The Indian Express. “If you don’t use your thumb as much, there’s a chance that you get more side spin.”

“Yeah, it’s fantastic, especially having come through to India in 2019 and we lost the series pretty badly. So, yeah, I’ve gone back to domestic cricket and I’ve managed to work my way back into the national set-up and I’m just really grateful for the opportunity to be in India and to put in a performance like that in the first innings is an awesome experience.” His ancestors hail from Nagapattinam

“My journey’s been unique. Got a taste of international cricket in 2019 in India, debuted here, went back into the wilderness a little bit. Like you say, cricket is such a journey that you just try to take it one day at a time. You try not to think too far ahead.

“But there were times, especially after 2019, where I wasn’t sure if I’d ever play Test cricket again and certainly not in India after we lost that series,” Muthusamy said, making no bones about where he stood in his career six years back.

“Who calls Nitish Reddy an allrounder? Can anyone see his bowling and say he is an all-rounder. He hit a hundred in MCG but what has he done after that. One swallow doesn’t make a summer, as they say. If Nitish Reddy is an all-rounder then I am great allrounder.. Just saying..how can you call him an allrounder? Does he have movement, pace? He is not some deadly batsman either. Let’s call spade a spade. How is Nitish in odi team also? What has he done? Is Nitish replacement for Hardik Pandya?! Why not Axar Patel?”

“I don’t understand. I saw Kuldeep Yadav’s quotes (at end of second day’s play) about how ‘pitch is a road, nothing happens ‘. Then today we see Indians edging to slips to Simon harmer and keshav Maharaj. And also getting out to bouncers from marco Jansen.. fve wickets to short balls!

“I guess this can be a draw. But wrong selection policies. Why isn’t Axar Patel not playing? Was he unfit for this Test match? He has been consistent in all levels. Why so much chop change?” Srikkanth said on his youtube channel ‘cheekycheeka’.

“Every alternate match someone is making debut. They can say trial and error. Gautam Gambhir can say whatever he wants. I don’t care. I have been a former captain and former chairman of selector . I know what am talking. I am not talking through my hat. You need consistency. I gave credit to Indians when they did brilliantly in England, right?”

Stand-in captain Rishabh Pant previously lashed out at his teammate Kuldeep Yadav for time-wasting and fiddling with the field, shouting that they were "making Test cricket a joke." This sharp criticism was brought back into discussion when Pant, in a surprising contrast to his demand for seriousness, aggressively charged down the pitch at a medium-paced ball from Marco Jansen shortly after the Tea break. The perplexing juxtaposition of Pant's strict, irritated demand for respecting the game's seriousness one day, and his highly unconventional, attacking approach the next, fueled a debate over whether his own aggressive style could also be seen as treating the traditional format lightly.

Good morning, folks, the result of this Test is all but decided. One is hoping against hoping if they are expecting anything other than South Africa's win or a draw. But again, it's all mindset. We have seen what transpired in Perth a couple of days ago. Can India do something similar and do the unimaginable? We shall find out do stay with us.

Well, we have been wrong. It did seem like South Africa would have batted longer today, but the umpires have decided that's it, and both sets of players are going back. It has been a superb bowling display from the South Africans today. Marco Jansen was quite brilliant with the ball, supported nicely by Simon Harmer. The Indian bowlers know they are up against it, and their body language did display that in their bowling. We will have an interesting day tomorrow, so do join us.

India has introduced spin from both ends here. Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja are the bowlers they have opted for. Compared to the last two days, the light has been quite bright today, so we might see play extend for a little longer. We have had a light meter before this, over from Kuldeep Yadav, and it seems like things are looking fine at this point. And South Africa would not mind it the more runs these two churn on in this phase longer the lead for them.

We have finished both the first two days around four, a couple of minutes here and there, and given the way how sun has dipped in the last hour or so, it is unlikely we are going to go longer this time as well. As of now, both Bumrah and Siraj are operating, but the surface seems to have gone to sleep again. Both Markram and Rickelton have looked solid. If they get through tonight, we might see them getting into some T20 zone tomorrow morning.

It is very hard for any side to get motivated from this situation. India won't be playing another home test in a while; they have a bunch of away tours before playing against Australia in early 2027. While the players on the side are quite capable ones, it is still the combination this side keeps picking that is the right one. If this is a loss, then that is five Tests India has lost in the last seven games, which will definitely demand a post-mortem.

Jasprit Bumrah took the new ball for India, and there was an outside edge from Aiden Markram's bat, which ran away for a boundary. 9 runs added to the total of South Africa, who are leading by quite a lot already. It is hard to turn up happy but the body language of the Indian team does seem a little off in this session and give the game situation and how this wicket has played thus far there is only one positive out come for India from here which is to draw the game.

Marco Jansen does the trick yet again with his cruel bumper, and Bumrah tried to hook one behind the third man, and the ball gloves, and the keeper completed the catch. That is six wickets for Marco Jansen, and it has to be one of the best spells bowled by a seamer in the Indian conditions. It was not a wicket that was doing a whole lot, but the mixing of length from the same line was what did the damage to the Indians. And yes, South Africa will bat again. We will be right back do stay with us.

Marco Jansen has picked up his fifth wicket It was a bit of a nothing shot from Kuldeep Yadav. The ball was thrown away from the stumps, and Kuldeep tried to guide the ball ended up giving a simple catch to Markram at slip. With still a lot of runs to get, escaping follow on seems like a distant dream the ball is in the court of South Africa. They do have enough time in this Test match to bat again and put India on the field for a bit more and tire them.

A new ball has been taken here by the South Africans, and it is Wiaan Mulder who is operating at the moment, and it will be Marco Jansen from the other end. It is a good opportunity for Jansen to pick another five-wicket haul, and against India in these conditions, it will be even more cherishable from his side. As per Kuldeep, who has been solid, might consider playing a few shots and take this game forward.

Harmer has scalped Washington Sundar here. Just when it did seem like India were making some strides back into this game, it is that man Harmer again who does the damage to the Indian side. It was once again a nice looped up delivery from Harmer slowed it down, which induced the edge, and the catch was carried to the slip. Sundar, who was looking good, has been beaten here. If it has not been Jansen, it has been Harmer for South Africa.

Now this partnership has started to hurt South Africa here. Both batters have looked quite solid. Kuldeep Yadav, especially has faced over 100 deliveries, and this knock does have shades of the one in Ranchi against England last year. However, the knock from Jurel was quite a brilliant one and not that Sundar is not capable of pulling out one such innings but it is tough and the focus for India first has to be avoiding the follow on in this game.

Well, still no Muthusamy, Aiden Markram and Simon Harmer continue in this afternoon's session. While Harmer is understandable as he has been in top form, at the start of the session, at least for a couple of overs, they could have given Jansen a spell and then the break, as the new ball too is due not too far away. Markram is throwing in a few loose deliveries here, which the batters are making the most of. The pressure is being released on the Indian batters.

It is Aiden Markram and Simon Harmer who have started the session for South Africa. We have seen Muthusamy warming up; we might soon see what he can deliver with the ball. His record does speak highly, and just for a couple of overs, Bavuma might consider dangling the carrot, hoping one of the batters tries and attacks him, and that can buy him a breakthrough, as both these batters did look in good touch.

We are back for the final session, and all the calls which have to be made are from South Africa on how to take this game forward. For India it is just batting as long as possible and trying to get into a position where they can make South Africa bat again which is still long way away.

Well, there is Lunch, the much-awaited break has finally come for India. The way Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar have batted it did reiterate that there were no demons in the surface, and it was some quality bowling alongside poor batting from India. This Test match has almost slipped away from India unless some sort of miracle happens in this game from here. Do stay with us, we will be right back for the noon session.

“This is still a good surface. This not a pitch to be 142 for 7. Ordinary batting. India won’t be one bit happy. You have to put your hands up and say that’s very ordinary batting,” Ravi Shastri, former India coach, summarised India’s batting on day 3.

We are closing in on lunch break here. And seems like Bavuma has asked Jansen to loosen up for a couple of overs, which will be quite a tricky spell to deal with for both Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav. It is not just the length alteration, but it is the consistency in line which he maintained that caused the Indian batters a lot of trouble. The thing we have not seen a lot from him today is slipping in a lethal yorker with the lower batters batting right now, we might see that stone turned too.

Both Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar have batted quite well here. Once again, an indication that the wicket has no demons in it. Kuldeep, especially with his solid defence, has looked quite comfortable. Ravi Shastri, on commentary, has been quite critical of the Indian batting. While batting has been struggling for a while, this Test match has shown the side's over-reliance on Bumrah as well.

We have a change in bowling here. Simon Harmer has been given a break from one end, and Aiden Markram has been brought into the attack. He does have a habit of picking wickets, does Markram, although he is not like Harmer, who tosses it up, but he tends to bowl a few quickly and dart in to beat the batters. Having said that, it is a bit of relief for Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav if they can just hold their bat for a while and frustrate the South Africans.

India needs to stick to a settled batting order going forward. As of now, there seem to be too many moving pieces and hard to predict which batter is going to bat at which position. They definitely seem to be one batter short in this lineup. Because this is a second collapse in two games. Yes, Shubman Gill is not there in this game, but they still had Rahul, Jaiswal and Pant, who have been stalwarts of this batting order, who did find wanting against the quality South African line-up.

This has been quite a brilliant passage yet again for South Africa. It was Marco Jansen who did the bulk of the damage to them. His bounce was something India just could not cope with. Also, credit must be given to Harmer, who is operating from the other end, who is not just bowling tight lines and lengths but also keeps the pressure on. Also, a mention of Temba Bavuma, the captain, he has been quite magnificent today.

Marco Jansen has been given a bit of a break here. The ball introduced is Wiaan Mulder. Although Mulder is not as quick or tall as Jansen, Mulder brings in his own skill set. Most importantly, he is very tight onto the stumps and gives nothing away. As we update, Simon Harmer's delivery has been sent upstairs for a dismissal here for an LBW decision, but the ball seems to have hit the part of Kuldeep's glove and popped in the air, and Tony De Zorzi at short-leg could not take the catch. India survived a close one there a leg-slip of sorts would have galloped that one.

This spell from Jansen has to be right up there in comparison with any visiting seamer who has bowled in India. There have not been quite a lot of them, but Marco Jansen today did give a masterclass in both Kolkata and here on how to bowl on. His pace has gone a few notches up, and his skills, too, seem to be growing quite exponentially as his career progresses. Now he is not just a new ball bowler but also can bowl through the middle overs quite nicely.

Ravindra Jadeja too has fallen here. The ball bounced and hit the shoulder of Jadeja, and on recoil, it hit the bat of Jadeja, and Harmer at slip took the catch. That is the fourth wicket for Marco Jansen here. He has troubled India with bounce all over here. Kuldeep Yadav has walked into the middle, and India are seven down in no time. It does seem like we might have a situation where India might end up following on in home conditions. Are India still dominant at home as before is This question will now start to popping up across the globe.

Marco Jansen has gone a bit under the radar here. But alongside Harmer, Jansen has been the best bowler for South Africa. The way he kept hitting hard lengths and from a similar line, he has been able to alter his length subtly an over here and there, which has induced wickets. It must be said that while Rabada and Maharaj seemed like a strike weapon ahead of the series, both Jansen and Harmer did come out of the syllabus. As we update, Jansen has picked up Nitish Kumar Reddy here. It was a short delivery which kept rising and hit the splice of the bat, and eventually carried to the fielder.

India is in all sorts of trouble here. They have just not managed to play well on this wicket. The way they had to play was to apply themselves. The likes of Sai Sudharsan and Yashavi Jaiswal, their dismissals have had quite soft. The ball did a bit, but they seem to be in two minds. The Pant shot, although it might come under some criticism, but given the game situation and the kind of player he is, he will be trying to take on the bowler, and that is what he did, which did not work out. Ravindra Jadeja in Nitish Kumar Reddy need a partnership here.

Pant is going to be key here for India. Although India is in trouble, if there is anyone who can get them out of this tricky situation, it has to come from Pant's counterattack. With the amount of turn the bowlers are getting and with a couple of wickets having already fallen, the South African side can smell blood. As we update, India has lost another one here, and it is Rishabh Pant. The batter tried to whack the ball, got the edge and the keeper took the catch. Pant did review but there was a feather. India are falling like nine pins here.

We are back after the break. This is a make-or-break session in this Test match. If India were to lose this game which looks likely after what has transpired in that morning session it might be time they have careful revision of the plans on picking all-rounders over specialists.

That's Tea, well, the way things have gone today morning, it will take a miracle for India to get back into this game. The South African bowling has been all over India here. They have two left-handers in the middle, and given the way Harmer has bowled and the way this wicket has behaved in this session, it will be quite a challenge for the Indians in the noon session too. For a brief while, Jaiswal was batting; things did look good, but his wicket seemed to have opened floodgates of sorts.

Harmer has been quite magnificent again today. He really has taken the Indians by surprise, hasn't he? Skipper Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel are in the middle, and India needs a massive partnership here to stay in the game. And the way pitch is behaving and the number of left-handers India does have in their line-up, as we update, Dhruv Jurel has fallen here. The batter tried to pull the ball, and he ended up top edging it. It is Marco Jansen, the wicket-taker. That is another one down for India here.

Yashasvi Jaiswal has fallen here. The ball after pitching did take off, and Jaiswal was taken off by a bit of bounce there, and the ball took the leading edge and carried to Jansen there. Harmer, with his bowling, continues to haunt India here. Dhurv Jurel is the new man in. As we update, it does seem like India has lost their second wicket here. Sai Sudharsan has pulled one and there seems to be checking going on if it has carried and yes it has the Sudharsan has fallen now.

Yashasvi Jaiswal slams 50 here. It has been a brilliant knock from the left-hander. He did have a bit of a poor game at Kolkata and also had a poor record against South Africa, but he has played quite well. The way he has swept has been quite magnificent, especially against Kesav Maharaj, and now it is important that he does convert this score into a big innings here, does Jaiswal.

Both spinners have settled nicely into a rhythm here. Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer are bowling a lovely slower pace, which is what India did not do for the majority of their innings. Both Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar have bowled it pretty quickly for the most part. And the slower the pace more the South Africans have extracted something out of this surface. And it was pretty similar to what has happened in Kolkata.

Keshav Maharaj has got rid of KL Rahul here. That is a magnificent delivery from the left-arm spinner. The ball pitched and turned away, and it also bounced a little too much for Rahul's liking. The pitch is misbehaving, and the puff of dust is coming out. This is only getting more and more challenging for the Indian side in the game. While they have to trust their defence, it might be ideal that the Indians start to put some pressure back onto the bowlers from time to time and have a healthy strike rotation in the middle.

Indian batters have to take the onus here. The wicket is misbehaving a bit, but it is mostly due to the morning moisture, and it is a regular feature in the Indian conditions. If they manage to get through this morning session with not too much harm done, especially against Harmer, who is managing to get a lot out from the surface, we might see things ease out a bit in the afternoon session. But the way the evidence we have so far in our hour's play there the wicket has deteriorated quite a bit compared to yesterday.

Simon Harmer has started well here again. He is getting a lot more from the surface than anyone. One of the strengths of Harmer is the way he varies his pace and the trajectory he bowls. The Indian batters defiently seem to be troubled him. The thing about Harmer is that on many occasions, we do see bowlers come in and try too many things, looking at the turning track, but Harmer, with all the experience he has had in county cricket, has stuck to his stock ball and mixes his variations pretty subtly.

Spin has been introduced here early in the piece, and it is Keshav Maharaj who has the ball. Given the form he has been in recent times, it is not often you expect another spinner from his side to dominate him, but that is what Simon Harmer did in the previous game. And as we update, Harmer too has been brought into the attack. This will be a very interesting passage of play coming up. Although it has been a red-soil wicket, it has been a bit on the slower side, and we have yet to see that traditional red-soil bounce. Indian spinners did not have had lot to work with and we have to see if South African spinners will get something out of this pitch.

The good thing about the position South Africa is in they won't mind a draw. Even if they manage that, they will win the series, but from the Indian perspective, they need a win, and they have to make all the plays here. One thing South Africa did in this Test match was always keep India at arm's length when they were batting. Whenever it did seem like India was getting back into the game, they found a method to keep building those partnerships, taking more and more time out of this game. The result of that Indian batting not only do they have to score big runs if they have aspirations to win they also have to do so at a good rate.

Both the Indian openers, KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal, in recent games have adhered to giving away the first hour to the bowler and then building on the foundation post-drinks break. More than any time, they have to tactically apply this today; it is even more important that they stick to that method. There are runs to be had on this wicket, and if they manage to get through this new ball spells stick it out and bring bowlers back to repeated spells which will tire them, and then they can capitalise on it later in the game. But as of now, it is time for a bit of attritional batting from these two.

Marco Jansen and Wiaan Mulder are the bowlers who start the day for South Africa. Since it is an early start here in Guwahati and there is a bit of cloud cover at the stadium, they might get some movement in the air, at least in this morning session. Marco Jansen has been quite smart in this spell. In Kolkata, he had to use a lot more tricks with the ball, but in this Test match so far, he has been bowling quite seam up. Given the nature of the wicket and the sluggish nature of it, we might see him using a few slower ones later in the innings.

As they say, it is the moving day of the Test match, while it might not always be true in the subcontinent, given how quickly games move on Days 4 and 5, but one thing we will have an idea by the end of play today is whether India will lose this game or not. Do stay with us lot of things are on the line today.

“If there’s help for the bowlers in a pitch, we criticize the batters. If a pitch is a seaming one, we’ll see a situation like in Perth. If it’s a little spin friendly pitch, the situation will be like the Eden Gardens Test. But we forget the fact that if a pitch is not spin or pace-ready, are the bowlers then lacking in plans? Are they actually bereft of ideas? We have seen this in the Arun Jaitley stadium as well that when we had to bowl for such a long time, we couldn’t get the West Indies out easily. The field placement become defensive and you wait for a mistake,” Chopra said in a video on his X handle.

It's a nippy overcast morning. Still looks like a good pitch to bat on. Pitch has slowed up and will continue to do so. Some wear and tear on the surface but not too serious. In general, still nothing wrong with it. Don't see too many devils in it.

“Personally I felt yesterday first session, there was a bit of moisture in the wicket, so I got a little bit of turn there in the first session. After that it was very good to bat on. There wasn’t any turn yesterday as well as today. Today was much better to bat on because I hardly got any turn. Even me and Jadeja we have been talking about that,” he added

“Even for fast bowlers it didn’t seem like a lot of help, but yeah, this is Test cricket and you should enjoy it. You should enjoy, learn more and the more you mature, you shouldn’t think too much about the wicket. You should go there and play. Next Test, there could be a better wicket, so no complaints,” Kuldeep said.

She calls him “freedom baby” because he was born in 1994, the year apartheid ended in South Africa. And on Sunday, minutes after he strode to a landmark in the land of her forefathers, Vani Moodley changed her WhatsApp profile picture to show her son, Senuran Muthusamy, celebrating.

When Senuran was approaching his hundred on the second day of the India-South Africa match at Guwahati — the first ever Test at the venue — Vani was travelling to Durban from Ghana where she had gone on a business trip. “I watched him bat till stumps yesterday, and it was around 2.30 am India time when I was on the flight out from Ghana,” says Vani, speaking to The Indian Express. (READ MORE FROM LALITH KALIDAS)

“Yeah, it’s fantastic, especially having come through to India in 2019 and we lost the series pretty badly. So, yeah, I’ve gone back to domestic cricket and I’ve managed to work my way back into the national set-up and I’m just really grateful for the opportunity to be in India and to put in a performance like that in the first innings is an awesome experience.” His ancestors hail from Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu and he has never been there although his mother and aunts have been to their native town.

“So just really grateful for the support that I’ve got back home, for the people that are really close with me, the coaches, the support staff here, the players, my family back home, my friends. They’ve been incredible.” Muthusamy has also worked with sports scientist Cheryl Calder and that has also helped in enhancing his performance.

“My journey’s been unique. Got a taste of international cricket in 2019 in India, debuted here, went back into the wilderness a little bit. Like you say, cricket is such a journey that you just try to take it one day at a time. You try not to think too far ahead.

“But there were times, especially after 2019, where I wasn’t sure if I’d ever play Test cricket again and certainly not in India after we lost that series,” Muthusamy said, making no bones about where he stood in his career six years back.

South Africa (Playing XI): Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Temba Bavuma(c), Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne(w), Marco Jansen, Senuran Muthusamy, Simon Harmer, Keshav Maharaj

India (Playing XI): KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

While it is a Monday, the good thing is that it is India's batting day in Guwahati. The wicket remains good if evidence says something; however, the batters need to apply themselves to score a few runs, as Muthusamy showed yesterday. How will the Indian batting go to find out do stay with us?