It was attritional cricket on Day 2 of the second Test between India and South Africa at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, at least until Marco Jansen walked out to bat and played a brilliant knock of 93 off 91 balls. On an unresponsive pitch, South Africa were bowled out for 489 in 151.1 overs before India finished at 9/0 at Stumps on Day 2.
Speaking after the end of play, veteran wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who finished with figures of 4/115 in 29.1 overs, compared the surface to a road.
“Kolkata was different. This was a flat road. That’s the challenge of Test cricket. As a bowler, you want to dominate every day, but when you get good wickets for batting, you must find ways to come back. Yesterday we bowled with great control, but one session with a long partnership pushed us back,” Kuldeep said.
“Overall, everyone put in effort. There wasn’t much help for bowlers — not even the pacers. That’s Test cricket — you have to enjoy it, learn from it, and mature from these situations. You shouldn’t overthink the wicket; just play and adapt. I’m sure the next Test will have a better wicket for bowlers. No complaints,” he added.
Kuldeep’s remarks come in the middle of an ongoing debate around pitch conditions in this series. After India’s loss in the Kolkata Test, criticism was directed at the Eden Gardens surface for being overly difficult for batters. Head coach Gautam Gambhir, however, defended the track, stating that there was nothing extreme or unfair about it and that challenging wickets are part of the nature of Test cricket. His comments divided opinion, with some former players questioning whether the pitch had tipped the balance too far in favour of the bowlers.
Guwahati, in contrast, told a completely different story.
South Africa, who had resumed on 247 for 6, steadily piled on the runs before being bowled out for a commanding 489 in 151.1 overs. The visitors’ lower order added more than 240 runs after the sixth wicket had fallen, completely swinging the momentum away from India. Despite the flat conditions, Kuldeep still stood out with figures of 4 for 115, the best return among the Indian bowlers.
India then began their reply, with Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul reaching 9 without loss at stumps, but the hosts were still staring at a daunting 480-run deficit.
