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Senuran Muthusamy and Marco Jansen have become the first pair batting number seven or under to hit 50s for South Africa against India — a new low for Gautam Gambhir’s men.
Senuran Muthusamy celebrates his century vs India.
(AP Photo)
Indian men’s cricket has plunged to a new low in the ongoing two-Test series against South Africa. The Proteas, who won the first match at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata by 30 runs, have smashed 428/7 in five sessions of the first innings in the second game at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati.
The hosts, playing without their injured skipper Shubman Gill, looked competitive on the first day, taking the first six wickets for 246 runs. However, all-rounders Senuran Muthusamy and Marco Jansen and wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne changed the game completely on Sunday (November 23).
Muthusamy and Verreynne shared an 88-run partnership in 236 balls, with the former scoring 42 and the latter 45. The wicketkeeper got out to Ravindra Jadeja, ending the second-longest partnership for the seventh wicket for South Africa in Asia.
Later, till the end of the second session, Muthusamy and Jansen had strung 94 runs together in only 99 balls, with the former adding 40 runs to reach his first-ever international Test century and the latter hitting a quick 51 (57). According to Cricbuzz, this was the first time ever that two batters of number seven or below from South Africa crossed 50 runs in a Test innings against India.
The Indians have had an issue with cleaning up tails for many years, but it has never been this bad against the Proteas.
How South Africa controlled the second session on Day 2
Muthusamy exhibited great patience to score his maiden century, supported by Jansen’s aggressive batting, as South Africa reached 428 for seven at lunch on day two of the second Test against India. After Muthusamy (107 off 203 balls) and Kyle Verreynne (45 off 122 balls)’s partnership, Jansen looked excellent against the Indian spinners, hitting four sixes off Kuldeep Yadav (3/110) and Ravindra Jadeja (2/78).
Jasprit Bumrah (1/63) was the only effective Indian bowler in terms of controlling the run-rate, with the rest struggling. Muthusamy reached his century after hitting a six and a boundary off Kuldeep, and a two off Mohammed Siraj. He survived a DRS review against Jadeja and then continued his steady play.
The pitch flattened out by the second morning, making it easier for the batsmen and rendering India’s spinners ineffective.
November 23, 2025, 14:27 IST
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