South Africa has finally declared. After securing a mammoth 549-run lead, the Proteas have finally put India to bat. But did the declaration come too late? Considering the visitors had cleaned the hosts for just 201 runs in 83.5 overs, one might have thought that perhaps even 400 was enough.
But South Africa didn’t just bat one or two sessions of the fourth day of the Guwahati Test; they continued to play on. Their batting approach was questionable in this regard. In the first session of the penultimate day, the Proteas added just 81 runs in 32 overs. Considering they have a 314-run lead by the end of the third day, you would assume they’d bat a bit quicker.
South Africa right to delay declaration?
As the Proteas continued to play on, everyone assumed they’d declare by lunch, at best. Their lead was 508 with 4 sessions left. Even if a total of 120 overs were bowled, you wouldn’t assume India would bat at 4.24 runs per over to chase down the mammoth target. Yet, South Africa batted on.
That begs the question, were Temba Bavuma and Shukri Conrad correct in delaying the declaration? Well, there are two ways to look at it. First would be that South Africa already had enough runs on the board. That’s objectively correct, but the other point of view has merit as well.
The pitch hadn’t broken up. It was evident from how well South Africa batted. One also has to consider that the Proteas are 1-0 ahead and need just a draw to win the series. That’s why they decided it’s best to take time away from the game and force the Indian batters to play in their shells to secure a draw.
“It wasn’t an overs thing (the declaration), it was more about the time. We had forty minutes after lunch,” Stubbs said after the day’s play.
The only gripe from a South African fan would be that they might lose out on 8 valuable points in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27. If the Proteas win, they get 12 points. However, for a draw, they get just 4. If India somehow bats through with just a couple of wickets left, Proteas fans will question Bavuma and Conrad.
India proves declaration decision as correct
If the Proteas fans were unhappy about the delayed declaration, their team proved them wrong. After bowling 15.5 overs in the last hour of the fourth day, South Africa managed to send KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal back to the hut. Now, they need to take 8 wickets on the final day.
Given how well Marco Jansen and Simon Harmer bowled, they would be happy about their chances to win the series 2-0. Also, the rough helped both Harmer and Keshav Maharaj generate some big turn. If they continue hitting the area, they’ll trouble the Indian batters on the last day of the Guwahati Test.
