South Africa delivered another batting masterclass at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. On a pitch that troubled the Indian batters throughout, the Proteas remained composed and piled on 260 runs in their second innings, stretching their lead to a massive 548. With that, they have set the highest-ever fourth-innings target for India at home in Test cricket.
The day began promisingly for India as Ravindra Jadeja removed Ryan Rickelton and Aiden Markram, but the momentum slipped away quickly. Batting at No. 3, Tristan Stubbs showcased remarkable maturity, holding the innings together with poise and resolve. The Indian bowlers had no answers to his technique or temperament, and once they tired late in the day, Stubbs shifted gears. He ultimately fell for 94, narrowly missing a well-earned century.
Tony de Zorzi and Wiaan Mulder chipped in with valuable knocks of 49 and an unbeaten 35, respectively. Jadeja stood out with the ball, taking four wickets, but received little support from the rest of the attack. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj bowled sparingly, which was understandable given the spin-friendly conditions. Yet, India were unable to capitalise.
The once-dominant home pairing of Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin used to threaten every opponent with their wizardry, but India’s current spin arsenal appears to lack bite. It may be time to look more closely at specialist spinners like Harsh Dubey, Saransh Jain, and Saurabh Kumar, and consider fast-tracking them into the Test setup.
Indian batters stumble, again
After South Africa declared at 260/5, India simply needed to survive the remainder of the day. Instead, they stumbled again, losing Yashasvi Jaiswal for 13 and KL Rahul for 6. They closed on 27/2, with Sai Sudharsan at the crease alongside Nighthawk Kuldeep Yadav. Marco Jansen and Simon Harmer picked up a wicket apiece.
India now face the monumental task of chasing 522 runs on Day 5. Should the Rishabh Pant-led side fall short, it would mark the second time within a year that a visiting team has completed a Test series whitewash against India on home soil.