Guwahati:India fell victim to another batting collapse on the third day of the second Test match being played at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Monday, increasing the threat of a clean sweep in the home Test series. South Africa took a strong lead by scoring 489 runs in the first innings and then took complete control of the match by bowling out India for 201 runs. By the end of the day’s play, the visiting team, instead of following-on, started their second innings and scored 26 runs without any loss. Let us tell you that South Africa is ahead by 1.0 in the two test match series.

There are still two days of play left and the direction of the match seems almost certain. India’s hopes are now almost pinned on a miracle as it is becoming increasingly difficult to avoid a second consecutive Test defeat at home.

Indian innings collapsed due to Jensen’s bowling
South African fast bowler Marco Jensen proved to be the most impressive player of the day. After adding 93 important runs in the first innings, he also did wonders in bowling and took 6 wickets for 48 runs. Indian batting faltered in front of his fast bouncers, precise lengths and constant aggression.

India started the day with 6/0 and Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul also made a good partnership. Jaiswal completed his half-century in an aggressive manner and was headed towards a big innings. But as soon as Rahul was out after being caught in the slip, the Indian innings fell apart like a house of cards. Jaiswal also returned soon and after this the line of wickets was established. Sai Sudarshan, Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel were all out playing the wrong shots at the wrong time. India’s score went from 65/0 to 102/4 in the first session and this decline became deeper in the second session.

Sundar and Kuldeep showed courage
Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav took the innings forward for India. Both of them added 72 runs for the eighth wicket and after playing more than 200 balls, they stopped the momentum of the visiting team for some time. Washington showed a balanced attack along with defensive play, while Kuldeep played very cautiously. This was India’s longest partnership for the eighth wicket against South Africa. Harmer finally broke the partnership by dismissing Washington and with the new ball Jensen took two more wickets to reduce India to 201.

South Africa’s strong start
Despite a huge lead of 288 runs, captain Temba Bavuma did not give follow-on. In the second innings, Ryan Rickelton and Aiden Markram came out with confidence and were seen scoring runs from the beginning. The early fours against Bumrah and India’s loose fielding further increased the lead of the visiting team. The game had to be ended early due to bad light, but South Africa had reached 26 runs without any loss.

Miracle needed to save India
The match is now completely in the control of South Africa. Indian batting appeared to be a victim of technical weaknesses and wrong shot selection. Except Jaiswal and Washington, the rest of the batsmen appeared to be lacking in confidence and breaking under pressure. With the pitch likely to become more difficult, it has become a very difficult challenge for India to save this match.

A year ago, India losing the home Test series seemed impossible, but disappointing performances in Guwahati and Kolkata have turned that possibility into a real threat. South Africa is now moving strongly towards a clean sweep and India will have to show exceptional play in the next two days to avoid it.