Agencies | Guwahati
South Africa seized control of the second Test as Senuran Muthusamy and Marco Jansen’s explosive lower-order contributions left Indian finger spinners looking ordinary on a benign track, as they posted a massive 489 in their first innings on Sunday. India in reply had reached 9 for no loss in 6.1 overs at stumps.
Muthusamy, fresh off a match-winning 89* against Pakistan in Rawalpindi last month, scored his maiden Test century, a gritty 109 off 206 balls. Jansen played in a contrasting, belligerent style, hammering 93 off 91 deliveries, including seven sixes — the most ever by an overseas batter in India, surpassing Viv Richards and Matthew Hayden. South Africa’s Nos 7 to 11 combined for a staggering 243 runs, with Muthusamy and Kyle Verreynne adding 88 for the seventh wicket, and the centurion adding another 97 with Jansen.
The Indian bowling attack was stretched to its limits. All five specialists bowled 25 or more overs, a first in Indian Test history. Kuldeep Yadav (4/115) struggled after increasing his pace, reducing drift, while Ravindra Jadeja (2/94) and Washington Sundar (0/58) found little turn or bounce. Jasprit Bumrah (2/75) briefly threatened with reverse swing, but lack of support from the spinners blunted pressure.
The innings exposed a long-standing issue in Indian team management — an over-reliance on finger spinners to extract sharp turn on unresponsive tracks. Jadeja and Sundar’s white-ball style, suited to containment, failed to trouble the Proteas, who comfortably capitalised once the new ball session passed.
India now face an uphill battle to respond on a pitch that has stayed flat for two days. The last time a visiting side scored 450+ in India and the hosts won was Chennai 2016, when Karun Nair’s triple ton and Jadeja’s seven-wicket haul turned the match. India will hope the red soil tracks crumble in the final two days to give their spinners a chance to revive fortunes.
