Tall left-arm pacer Marco triggers middle-order collapse with fiery 6-48 to put South Africa on course for a commanding series sweep after huge 288-run first innings lead; hosts 201 all out, SA 26-0 at stumps
South Africa’s Marco Jansen (second from right) celebrates with teammates after dismissing India skipper Rishabh Pant in Guwahati on Monday. Pic/AFP
A nervous Marco Jansen failed to keep his tryst with a maiden Test century on Sunday. He therefore took his angst out on India with the ball on Monday, producing a terrific burst of short-pitched bowling to put South Africa well in command of the second Test at the ACA Stadium.
Overnight nine without loss in response to the visitors’ monumental 489, India chose novel means to capitulate, skipper Rishabh Pant leading the way through the most irresponsible stroke. Consequently, they were shot out for 201 to concede a massive lead of 288, which South Africa extended to 314 by coasting to 26 without loss at stumps.
India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal after scoring his half-century on Monday. Pic/PTI
Pant’s was the most unedifying dismissal. India had lost three for seven in 20 deliveries to fritter away an opening stand of 65 between the flowing Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul when, in the second over after tea, he charged Jansen, intending to hammer the bowler back over his head. All he managed was a thick outside edge that flew to wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne. As if the stroke wasn’t poor enough, Pant bizarrely chose to review the catch too, in
another reflection of his addled thinking.
Three wickets fall in 17 mins
India lost wickets in clusters twice — three in 17 minutes before tea, as many in 29 minutes after the first interval of the day — to hand over the ascendancy on a platter to a pleasantly surprised South Africa. India also didn’t help their cause by continuing to tinker with their batting order. Washington Sundar, their best batter at the Eden Gardens snake-pit last week when he occupied the No. 3 slot, was demoted to No. 8, where he again looked assured and untroubled while making an important 48.
Washington and Kuldeep Yadav, who on Sunday had termed the surface a ‘road’, added 72 for the eighth wicket in a little over two hours, putting their supposedly more pedigreed batting colleagues to shame.
Kuldeep faces 134 balls
Kuldeep, at No. 9, faced 134 deliveries. Just to put things in perspective, Nos. 4 to 7 — Dhruv Jurel, Pant, Ravindra Jadeja and Nitish Kumar Reddy — together lasted a mere 55 balls.
Spin had threatened to dominate when, after the 65-run opening salvo, Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer went to work. But it was an exploratory bouncer from Jansen to Jurel in the last over before tea that set the cat amongst the pigeons. Unmindful of the hole India were in, Jurel went for a pull from outside off, and when Pant followed him in the generosity stakes, Jansen knew he was on to a good thing. It was with the short ball that he dismissed Jadeja, unlucky to be caught off the back of the bat, and Nitish, who awkwardly fended a lifter superbly held by Aiden Markram running to his right from second slip and diving full length. It was one of five catches for the opener, and one of six wickets for Jansen.
Unless they come up with a vastly improved batting display, and attitude, India face the prospect of being whitewashed at home for a second time in three series. Chastening.
6-48
Marco Jansen’s best figures outside South Africa
Six
No. of wickets India lost for just 27 runs after collapsing from 95-1 to 122-7
Brief scores
South Africa 489 & 26-0 (R Rickelton 13*, A Markram 12*) vs India 201 (Y Jaiswal 58, W Sundar 48; M Jansen 6-48, S Harmer 3-64)
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