Things looked really bad for India at Guwahati! South Africa piled up a massive 489 runs in their first innings. The IND vs SA follow on score target was 290 runs minimum. India had to reach that number to avoid batting again immediately. Sadly, the hosts managed only 201 runs before getting bowled out completely.
South Africa’s Batting Dominated the Match
The Proteas batted brilliantly on the flat Guwahati pitch. Senuran Muthusamy scored a wonderful century with 109 runs to his name. Marco Jansen scored 93 runs, fell just 7 runs short of his hundred frustratingly.
Tristan Stubbs added 49 runs while Kyle Verreynne scored 45 useful runs. Captain Temba Bavuma chipped in with 41 runs too during their innings. Almost every South African batter got a decent score on this surface.
Kuldeep Yadav fought hard taking 4 wickets for India during that long innings. Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Ravindra Jadeja grabbed 2 wickets each. But the damage was already done by then unfortunately.
India’s Batting Crumbled Under Pressure
The follow on target of 290 seemed achievable on this batting-friendly wicket. India’s top order including Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul needed to step up. But IND vs SA turned into a nightmare for the Indian batters.
Marco Jansen bowled like a man possessed throughout India’s innings. He grabbed 6 wickets for just 48 runs which destroyed India’s hopes. Simon Harmer took 3 wickets to finish things off at 201 all out.
Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav showed some late fight though admirably. They added 72 runs together for the eighth wicket partnership there. Sundar scored 48 before losing his wicket to defensive batting. Kuldeep stayed at the crease for ages making 19 off 134 balls.
Bavuma’s Smart Decision on Follow On
Captain Temba Bavuma had a big decision to make after India’s collapse. South Africa led by 288 runs which allowed them to enforce the follow. Bavuma discussed options with players on the field initially about this.
Then he consulted team management before making the final call here. Surprisingly, South Africa chose not to make India bat again. They decided to bat themselves instead for the IND vs SA second innings.
