India cricket team bowlers clearly struggled against the batting depth of South Africa as the tailenders managed to add 264 runs to the team’s 1st innings total. After going wicketless in the 1st session of play on Day 2 of IND vs SA 2nd Test, the hosts just managed to get 1 wicket in the 2nd session as Senuran Muthusamy and Marco Jansen troubled the bowlers with their fighting knocks. Eventually, it took India less than an hour before the end of play to wrap up SA’s innings for 489 runs.
India struggle against SA tailenders
Resuming play at 247/6, Muthusamy and Verreynne stitched together a 88-run partnership that lasted for over a session on Day 2 before India finally got a breakthrough. SA’s number 7 Muthusamy registered his maiden Test hundred in Guwahati on Sunday, inflicting maximum damage on the Indian bowlers. After the fall of Verreynne (45), Muthusamy was involved in yet another big partnership with Marco Jansen, with the duo clocking 97 runs before the former departed.
Muthusamy’s 109-run spirited knock finally came to an end in the 138th over as Siraj finally got a breakthrough. However, SA’s scoreboard did not stop ticking there as Jansen took over the responsibility of adding more runs to the scoreboard and tormenting the Indian bowlers.
A 31-run partnership between Jansen and Simon Harmer saw the latter inch closer towards his career best score in Tests. Harmer was the penultimate wicket to fall as Bumrah cleaned him up for 5 runs. Going with the momentum and undeterred by the fall of wickets in the 3rd session, Jansen continued to fight on until he Kuldeep Yadav managed to put an end to India’s misery by getting rid of him for 93 runs.
It is pertinent to point out that Muthusamy and Jansen now have the highest scores in this series by batters from either sides. Once again, via this innings, SA have proved that their batting order is quite deep and that even their tailenders were as capable as the top-order batters.
As for India, Kuldeep was the pick of the bowlers, having registered figures of 4/115, but that wasn’t before he was tormented by the SA batters, especially the tailenders. Bumrah, Siraj and Jadeja finished with two wickets each as well but were equally expensive.
India finished at 9/0 at stumps on Day 2, with Jaiswal (7) and Rahul (2) at the crease. The hosts have a tall task at hand on Day 3 as the trial SA by a mammoth 480-run margin.
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