Guwahati: India found moments of success through Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, but South Africa continued to command proceedings on Day 4 of the second Test, courtesy of a brilliant 94 by Tristan Stubbs as the youngster’s knocks helped the team stretch their lead to over 500 runs and eventually declared at 260/5 to set India a target of 549 runs.
The day began with the visitors resuming at 26/0, and openers Ryan Rickelton and Aiden Markram looking assured as they raised the score to 58 before India’s spinners made their impact. Rickelton, who benefited from early luck, was dismissed for 35 while attempting an aggressive shot, handing Jadeja his first breakthrough.
The left-arm spinner struck again soon after, removing Markram for 29 with a sharp turn that troubled the batters throughout the morning.
Washington Sundar complemented Jadeja superbly, bowling a disciplined spell with subtle variations in pace that kept South Africa’s scoring in check. His persistence paid off when he removed captain Temba Bavuma, who flicked a simple catch to leg slip. Despite a few missed run-out opportunities, India looked energetic in the field and kept the visitors’ progress steady rather than free-flowing.
At 107/3 by tea, the session appeared evenly balanced as Tony de Zorzi and Tristan Stubbs steadied the innings, combining caution with calculated aggression. Both batters found regular boundaries and shifted momentum again in South Africa’s favour heading into the second session.
De Zorzi and Stubbs batted with purpose, sweeping, cutting, and rotating strike as if playing on a surface entirely different from the one tormenting India. Every boundary struck through the gaps felt like a reminder: South Africa were not just surviving, they were progressing. Zorzi’s sweeps scythed through the leg side with authority, while Stubbs absorbed pressure before unleashing strokes that drained India’s early energy.
After tea, Jadeja trapped de Zorzi lbw just shy of a half-century. Yet even that wicket felt like a pause rather than a shift. Stubbs marched on to his fifty, unhurried and unbothered, as Wiaan Mulder joined him to push the lead past 500 with quiet confidence.
With four sessions remaining in the match, the Proteas showed no inclination to declare early, adding 113 runs in the second session for the loss of just one wicket. India even turned to part-timer Yashasvi Jaiswal for an over, but South Africa’s control remained unchallenged.
At lunch, South Africa had moved to 220/4 in 70 overs, firmly on top as India faced a huge scare.
As Stubbs approached a century, the Proteas continued their batting innings after lunch, despite many expecting a declaration. The young player entered the nervous nineties, and South Africa watched to see if he could reach 100 before the declaration. However, as soon as he was dismissed, Bavuma indicated the batters to come back in, thereby closing their innings at 260/5 and setting the hosts a massive 549-run target.
While a win looks difficult here, Team India will look to bat throughout the remainder of Day 4 and Wednesday, the final day of the game, to draw the match. South Africa, meanwhile, will aim to bowl out the hosts again to add a historic victory under their belt, while also gaining some crucial World Test Championship points.
Brief Scores: South Africa 489 and 260/5d in 78.3 overs (Tristan Stubbs 94, Tony de Zorzi 49; Ravindra Jadeja 4/62) lead India 201 all out in 83.5 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 58, Washington Sundar 48; Marco Jansen 6-48, Simon Harmer 3-64) by 548 runs.
IANS
