IND vs SA, 2nd Test: Jansen dismantles India’s series-levelling hopes as batters shoot themselves in foot

A gentle, early winter haze hovered over the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati on Monday morning.

It proved to be a premonition for the spectre of doom that descended on India on the third day of its second Test against South Africa.

Going up against South Africa’s gargantuan first-innings total of 489, India knew it had to bat long and score briskly. However, India faltered in both regards as it was toppled for just 201, in conditions that retained its batting-friendly essence.

Marco Jansen continued his dream Test, as he followed up his breathtaking knock of 93 on Day 2 with a six-wicket haul earned through hostile, short-pitched bowling.

India’s capitulation on Monday was arrested only by a stubborn eighth-wicket partnership by Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav, which spanned nearly 35 overs.

IND vs SA highlights

Kuldeep, in particular, showed defensive application that his top-order counterparts failed to display. The left-handed batter played out 134 deliveries, for his 19 runs, effectively repelling pacers and spinners alike.

South Africa, though, had time and runs to bank on. Eventually, the visiting bowlers mopped up the Indian tail to bag a 288-run lead.

The Proteas opted against enforcing follow-on and had 26 runs added to their advantage by Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton by the end of play.

Shoot themselves in the foot

As much as one could applaud the visiting side for its purpose-driven bowling, impeccable catching and prudent DRS calls, it was a day of cricket when the Indian batters largely shot themselves in the foot.

A good share of the Indian wickets to fall on Monday were outcomes of unwise shot selection on a pitch bereft of visible signs of deterioration.

The great Indian unravel, that began in the second hour of play, spawned from South Africa’s short-ball attack, led by Jansen.

The left-arm pacer incessantly hammered the ball in off the pitch, testing the Indian batters with rising deliveries.

It was a trial that proved to be the undoing of the Indian middle order. Jansen’s eight-over spell, either side of Tea, garnered him four scalps, as India tumbled to 122 for seven.

Three of those Jansen wickets came from short balls – Dhruv Jurel inexplicably swiped a wide one to mid on, while Nitish Kumar Reddy and Ravindra Jadeja awkwardly fended catches to the slip cordon.

The other wicket to fall during this phase was that of Rishabh Pant, who was caught behind after an attempted step-out slog.

The mid-afternoon, Jansen-induced chaos was preceded by South African spinners, Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj, accounting for the Indian top-order.

With its pacers not getting much purchase early on, South Africa turned to spin after just seven overs in the day.

Harmer and Maharaj found no greater spin than their Indian counterparts. But they bowled slower through the air, allowing the ball to hold onto the pitch and bounce a smidgeon more.

KL Rahul, who had batted within himself until then, was the first to fall prey, as he edged Maharaj to first slip.

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Meanwhile, Yashasvi Jaiswal batted with a sense of urgency. He took on Jansen and Wiaan Mulder initially, before laying into the South African spinners, robustly sweeping them for boundaries.

The Indian opener looked like he was gunning for a big knock as he went past his fifty, his first against South Africa in Tests.

But Jaiswal succumbed to a Harmer delivery that gripped the surface and reared up, clipping the outside edge on the way to a diving Jansen at third man.

B Sai Sudharsan then became the first Indian batter to gift his wicket, flat-batting a harmless half-tracker from Harmer to mid-wicket. This was right before Jansen’s four-wicket burst that dismantled the remnants of India’s hopes of a series-levelling win.

Published on Nov 24, 2025