India is fighting against the dangerous South African bowling attack to avoid a Follow On on Day 3 of their on-going second Test match in Guwahati.
The score is 174/7 at Lunch, and it is Washington Sundar (33 off 66) and Kuldeep Yadav (14 off 82) who are holding on to keep the crisis at bay.
Much needs to be asked of the Indian top order, which features some really experienced players, all of whom, bar one, failed to fire on a wicket that had been ideal for batting so far.
IND vs SA 2nd Test: Story Of India’s Innings So Far
The day began with Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul resuming India’s innings from the previous day. Jaiswal managed to score a fighting 58 runs, his first half-century against the Proteas, after which Simon Harmer secured his wicket.
Rest of the Indian top and middle order crumbled on low socres, with very little resistance. KL Rahul fell for just 22 against Keshav Maharaj.
Sai Sudharsan managed only 15, falling against Harmer, and the in-form Dhruv Jurel was dismissed for a duck by Marco Jansen.
India’s experienced players also failed to contribute. Rishabh Pant was dismissed cheaply for 7, and Ravindra Jadeja was out for 6, both against fast-bowler Jansen, who had scored 93 with the bat in the first innings.
A Follow-On Looms for India
Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav are at the crease, and India now faces the uphill task of avoiding the Follow On. Standing on 174/7 at Lunch (Second Session break), India still needs to score around 100 more runs to avert the follow-on against South Africa.
This will be no less than a daunting challenge given the state of their innings and the Proteas’ dominance.
India had already lost the first Test in Kolkata, and another defeat here would not only result in a humiliating series loss at home but would also hurt their ICC World Test Championship standings.
The outcome of the Guwahati Test remains uncertain, but India’s chances of a comeback are looking slim.
