South Africa rode on Senuran Muthusamy’s maiden Test century and Marco Jansen’s blistering 93 to post a commanding 489 on the second day of the Guwahati Test, putting India under immediate scoreboard pressure in their bid to level the series.
India crawled to 9 for 0 before bad light stopped play yet again, leaving them 480 runs behind and facing a daunting final three days.
Muthusamy Leads From the Middle, Jansen Turns Enforcer
Resuming at 247 for 6, Muthusamy and Kyle Verreynne added 88 crucial runs before Jansen walked in and changed the tempo of the match.
The pair’s 97-run stand, built in just 16.4 overs, is the highest partnership of the series and swung the contest firmly South Africa’s way.
Jansen launched a stunning assault, smashing seven sixes, the most by a lower-order batter against India at home, and adding six fours along the way. He moved into the nineties with a towering six before Kuldeep Yadav finally dismissed him on 93.
Kuldeep ended with 4 for 115, while Bumrah, Siraj, and Jadeja shared six wickets but endured heavy workloads for the second successive day.
A Milestone Moment for Muthusamy
Muthusamy’s calm, composed 109 off 206 balls, with 10 fours and two sixes, made him South Africa’s ninth centurion of the year. Batting at No. 7, he became only the second visiting batter in 15 years to score a century at that position in India.
He brought up his hundred with a crisp punch through cover, later calling the moment “really special.”
I’m just glad I could contribute and put runs on the board in the first innings, which is always important.
The all-rounder credited partnerships as the heart of their approach: “It was just to build partnerships and extend the innings… Scholesy was brilliant, Marco was special, and the other guys chipped in as well.”
He also survived an anxious lbw call thanks to a faint glove detected on DRS.
When it came up on the screen and showed a little scratch, it was fantastic… With all the emotion, it didn’t register straightaway.
Only Simon Harmer failed to reach double digits in what was otherwise a deeply disciplined batting effort from the WTC champions.
India Under Pressure as Openers Survive Tricky Overs
India’s reply began cautiously. KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal navigated six overs in low light, collecting their first boundary when Jaiswal flicked Jansen through square leg.
The hosts now face a long and demanding task. To avoid the follow-on, India must first get to 290, before thinking about reversing the match narrative. With three days to go, the challenge is steep: survive, score, and somehow put South Africa under fourth-innings pressure.
The Proteas, meanwhile, are well placed to chase a rare Test series win on Indian soil.
Brief Scores: South Africa 489 in 151.1 overs (Senuran Muthusamy 109, Marco Jansen 93; Kuldeep Yadav 4-115) India 9/0 in 6.1 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 7*, KL Rahul 2*) South Africa lead by 480 runs.
