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South Africa have taken control of the 2nd Test following a listless batting display from India in Guwahati.
Rishabh Pant (left) walks off the field after losing his wicket. (PTI Photo)
A cursory glance at the scorecard of the ongoing 2nd Test in Guwahati against South Africa could mislead one into believing that it’s an overseas contest for India. Such has been India’s listless show in the ongoing two-match series that South Africa are inching closer to condemning their hosts to a historic whitewash.
Poor batting has been the major reason why India have been woeful in a series they currently trail 0-1. Day 3 of the 2nd Test was just the latest example of how poor their batters have been against top teams recently when playing at home, as they were skittled for a mere 201 in response to South Africa’s first innings total of 489-all out.
In the absence of regular captain Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant is leading the side in Guwahati and has come under fire for not just his leadership but also the cavalier manner in which he batted on Day 3 and thus lost his wicket cheaply to Marco Jansen.
India were in a tricky spot at 102/4 when Pant, batting on 7, stepped out to Jansen and nicked one to the wicketkeeper. With the on-field umpire adjudging him out, the India captain went upstairs and wasted a review as well.
Legendary India spinner Anil Kumble criticised Pant’s tactics on a surface where patience was the key to scoring big runs.
“Today’s batters will say, ‘This is my natural game.’ Then there’s a situation, and you need to understand it. As far as the opposition’s point of view, as long as Rishabh Pant is there out in the middle, South Africa bowlers won’t be comfortable. They know he can take the game away from you in a flash. You can’t do that after facing just 10 balls,” Kumble said on Star Sports.
“It’s not like this was a Kolkata pitch where every ball bowled on a good length had his name written on it. It’s not like that. It’s a good surface, just hang in there. You will get the loose ball. It’s not like Marco Jansen is going to bowl 20 overs on the trot. He is going to bowl one spell. You have got to hang in there. This is Test match cricket. Just bat session after session. This is a pitch where you have to bat long,” he added.
Fast bowling legend Dale Steyn was brutal in his assessment.
“You can’t win a Test in one over,” Steyn said.
This was after he had described Pant’s shot as ‘brain fade’ on X.
“That is just a brainfade shot,” he posted.
South Africa were 26/0 at the close of play on Day 3, extending their lead to 314 runs.
Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital…Read More
Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital… Read More
November 25, 2025, 08:33 IST
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