The Indian Cricket Team are in massive trouble and on the verge of losing the ongoing Test match against the Proteas, needing to score over 500 runs on the final day of the match with eight wickets in hand.
Today was Day Four of the second and final India vs South Africa test match. The match is being played at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati, and saw the visitors win the toss and decide to bat first on a pitch that is deteriorating day by day.
On the first day, the South African batters put up a decent batting show, making 247/6. However, when India believed that they could contain the Proteas to a manageable score, middle-order all-rounder Senuran Muthusamy scored a fine hundred. Couple that with Marco Jansen making 93 off 91, and the South African Cricket Team reached a mammoth score of 489 before being dismissed.
On Day Three, the Indian batting started well. The opening partnership of Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul made 65 runs together before Rahul got out after making 22. Jaiswal would go on to make a half-century and got out soon after, making 58 off 97. This was the start of the Indian team’s downfall in this game.
Sai Sudharsan got out immediately after. All three wickets so far were taken by spinners. And seeing how the pitch was turning and bouncing at this point, it was to no one’s surprise.
The next few wickets, which all fell after not adding much to the team score, were taken by Marco Jansen, who took his first Test fifer against India. The Indian Cricket Team was ultimately all out for 201 runs, trailing by 288 runs. South Africa ended Day Three at 26/0.
India Vs South Africa: India Trails By 522 Runs To End Day Four
Day Four started with the defending World Test Champions taking the opening partnership past 50 runs. The first wicket to fall was that of Ryan Rickelton, who made 35 off 64 before getting out.
The dismissal of the other opener, Aiden Markram, a few overs later, and captain Temba Bavuma’s dismissal immediately after, suggested that India might be able to restrict South Africa to a manageable score this time around.
But those hopes were dashed by a 101-run partnership between Tristan Stubbs and Tony de Zorzi. By the time de Zorzi got out for 49 off 68, the score had already reached 178/4.
The Proteas would go past the 200-run mark, and then their lead would go past the 500-run mark. They would declare the innings after Stubbs’ wicket, who made 94 off 160 deliveries. The declaration score was 260/5, and the lead was 548 runs.
With a massive target of 549 runs, the Indian batters came out to face the 15 or so overs remaining in the day. However, unlike India’s last inning, Yashasvi Jaiswal was not to score another milestone, as he got out in the seventh over after making 13 off 20. KL Rahul would depart soon after, leaving the Indian Cricket Team in a perilous situation at 21/2.
Sai Sudharsan and nightwatchman Kuldeep Yadav took the team to the end of Day Four. The team score is 27/2, and they still have 522 runs ahead of them. While scoring as many runs in the remaining 90 overs of tomorrow is nigh on impossible, the team would likely look to play for a draw.
Even if this India vs South Africa Test ends in a draw, this will be India’s second Test series loss at home within a span of 12 months, having lost to New Zealand 3-0 last year.
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