Jansen’s Spell Crushes India in Guwahati Test
South Africa’s Marco Jansen produced a career-defining performance, taking 6 for 48 with relentless short-pitched bowling. His spell dismantled India’s middle and lower order, dismissing Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jasprit Bumrah with bouncers. Jansen also contributed earlier with a crucial 93 runs and a stunning catch to remove Yashasvi Jaiswal, India’s only half-centurion in the series. Analysts noted that no bowler has ever taken as many wickets with bouncers in a single innings in India since ball-by-ball records began.
India’s collapse from 95 for 1 to 122 for 7 effectively ended hopes of leveling the series.
India’s Batting Struggles
India’s batting lineup once again faltered under pressure. Jaiswal’s 58 and Washington Sundar’s fighting 48 were the only bright spots. Captain Rishabh Pant, leading India for the first time in Tests, fell cheaply while trying to counterattack. B Sai Sudharsan, recalled at No.3, showed glimpses of promise but was undone by Simon Harmer’s spin. The lack of experience in India’s middle order was evident, with commentators pointing out that India’s Nos. 3 and 4 together had fewer than 1000 career runs—a rarity since the 1960s.
The batting collapse highlighted India’s struggles in the transition phase after the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from Test cricket.
South Africa Eyes Series Sweep
South Africa, already leading the series 1-0, ended Day 3 at 26 for 0, extending their lead to 314 runs. With Rickelton and Markram steady at the crease, the visitors are now just a couple of sessions away from batting India out of the contest. Jansen’s all-round brilliance has drawn comparisons to Ian Botham’s legendary Jubilee Test performance in 1980, where Botham scored a century and took 13 wickets.
For India, the defeat would mark their second home series loss in 12 months, after going 12 years unbeaten at home.
The Guwahati Test has underlined South Africa’s dominance and India’s vulnerabilities. Jansen’s extraordinary spell has not only given his team control but also exposed India’s fragile batting order. With South Africa dreaming of a historic series sweep, India faces the daunting task of regrouping quickly to avoid back-to-back home series defeats.
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