There is no excuse—no pitch, no nothing. Inept batting, pure and simple. On a pitch with no demons, where the opposition scored nearly 500, you collapse for 201 after being 95 for 1.
Let’s look at the dismissals. Yashasvi Jaiswal was caught in two minds to a ball that turned, playing a half-hearted shot that looped to Marco Jansen. Sai Sudharsan could have hit the ball anywhere and instead ended up giving a catch to Ryan Rickelton. As if things weren’t dire enough, Dhruv Jurel—who got rare back-to-back opportunities—played a horrendous shot off Jansen to be caught by Maharaj.
At lunch, India were four down and already sliding. Rishabh Pant, skipper and lead batter, played a shot that Dale Steyn described as a “brain fade”. Pant has more than enough ability to milk the bowling and keep scoring, yet he attempted a shot that might be understandable on a horrible SCG wicket, but not in Guwahati on a decent third-day pitch.
Nitish Reddy played the ball as if he were batting in Perth, not Guwahati. If you look at the pattern of his dismissals, he has been out in similar fashion far too many times. With Nitish bowling only 5–6 overs in the innings, one wonders why he continues to be persisted with.
For far too long now, India have been poor at home with the bat. Basic Test-match batting qualities are lacking, and there is very little application. One wonders why this is the case. When these players can apply themselves in Manchester, why not in Guwahati?
Coming to the South Africans, they have been brilliant. A couple of years ago, Sachin Tendulkar said to me over a cup of tea at his house that Jansen has the ability to be one of the best fast bowlers in the world. He has the height and can hit the deck even on unhelpful pitches, Sachin had said.
That is exactly what we have seen in Guwahati. He pushed KL Rahul and Jaiswal back with short balls and later dismissed Jurel, Nitish, and Ravindra Jadeja with deliveries that made life awkward for the batters. Using his height to great effect, Jansen has been the pick of the bowlers along with Simon Harmer.
I have to say I was a little surprised by South Africa’s decision not to enforce the follow-on. With fading light, this is a short Test match, with no more than 80 overs bowled each day. Now that they are batting again, they will likely declare only when the lead touches 450—meaning a session or more into day four. India, this latest collapse notwithstanding, should believe they can save the game. A draw is still possible and will be a test of character.
Can they bat on a wearing pitch on day five against the spin of Harmer and Maharaj? Do they have the technique and temperament to do so? Can they curb the impulse to play rash shots? A 0–2 defeat would be extremely humiliating, and India must salvage a draw from here to boost morale. Whether they can is the big question.
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