While the cricket fraternity has been busy debating whether India’s batters have forgotten the art of playing spin, it appears the bowlers may have misplaced something too — the willingness to grind and work hard for wickets on pitches that aren’t home dustbowls. India paid the price for being timid and reactive, both with the ball and in their tactics, as South Africa piled on a commanding 489 in the first innings.

IND v SA, 2nd Test Day 2 Highlights | Scorecard

South Africa made the Indian bowlers toil for 151.1 overs — nearly ten overs longer than the entire first Ashes Test in Perth. All-rounder Senuran Muthusamy, 31, struck his maiden Test hundred, while lower-order batter Marco Jansen smashed a career-best 93.

The last four South African wickets added a massive 242 runs, as Muthusamy and Jansen forced India’s bowlers to work relentlessly throughout Day 2. India had the visitors at 247 for 6 at stumps on Day 1, but they squandered the chance to wrap up the innings and allowed the lower order to do far more than just wag its tail.

Under pressure after losing the opening Test in Kolkata last week, India are now staring at another uphill climb. Having let South Africa bat for nearly two full days, the hosts are up against a daunting first-innings total on a pitch expected to deteriorate. Time, too, may not be on their side. To push for a result, India must bat with urgency; South Africa, 1–0 up, will happily take a draw to seal the series.

Kuldeep Yadav was the pick of India’s bowlers, claiming four wickets with his left-arm wrist-spin. Ravindra Jadeja took two but looked far from threatening on a surface that demanded proactiveness and patience from both bowlers and on-field decision-makers.

Washington Sundar, who enjoyed a purple patch on spinner-friendly pitches earlier in the series, looked ordinary in Guwahati.

With sixth bowler Nitish Kumar Reddy bowling only six overs and the spinners failing to pose the sort of threat they did in Kolkata, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj were left to shoulder the burden. The pace duo bent their backs through a gruelling 62 overs in the first innings — a workload India would have hoped to avoid.

– Ends

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