Day 2 of the second Test in Guwahati ended with the match heavily tilted in South Africa’s favour. After piling up a formidable 489 in their first innings, the visitors left India wobbling under the weight of a huge scoreboard. India reached stumps at 9 for 0, trailing by roughly 480 runs — a position that already feels like survival mode rather than a competitive chase.
South Africa’s innings was built on authority, patience, and the kind of partnership-driven batting India never truly disrupted. Senuran Muthusamy delivered a breakthrough moment in his career with a maiden Test hundred, anchoring the innings with assured footwork and no panic even as India’s bowlers probed in patches. His control at the crease gave South Africa a backbone, and Marco Jansen’s 93 later in the order turned that backbone into a dominating total. Jansen’s counterattack stretched India’s bowlers late into the day, and every extra run felt like another weight added to India’s shoulders.
India’s bowlers never completely lost the plot, but they never took command either. Wickets came in spurts, not phases. The seamers created chances but lacked sustained pressure, and the spinners couldn’t enforce control on a surface that offered little assistance. The result was a long, draining day in the field that drained confidence as much as energy.
When India began their reply, only six overs were possible before bad light halted play. Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul survived the brief passage but looked understandably conservative. The reality is brutal: India not only trail by nearly 480, but they’re up against a South African attack that will bowl with freedom, backed by a monster first-innings cushion and the sharpness that comes from batting deep and dictating the tempo for two days.
The scale of the deficit means India’s priorities shift immediately. Forget chasing — their primary goal is to bat long enough to avoid an innings defeat. That alone will require discipline far beyond what they’ve shown recently. Partnerships will need to be stubborn, strike rotation must be consistent, and rash shots need to be shelved. The pitch hasn’t deteriorated badly yet, but South Africa’s bowlers know what’s coming: scoreboard pressure, hesitation, and the temptation to manufacture runs.
South Africa, meanwhile, hold all the cards. With a 1–0 lead already in the series, they can attack relentlessly, spread fields only when necessary, and rotate bowlers without any urgency. They have the psychological advantage, the scoreboard advantage, and the momentum of three straight sessions where India have been chasing shadows.
This Test is far from over, but the direction is unmistakable. South Africa dominated with the bat, exhausted India’s bowlers, and ended the day with their opponents buried under a colossal deficit. India now face a long road back — one that demands near-perfect batting just to keep the match alive.
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