NEW DELHI: India’s bowlers endured a testing second day at the Guwahati Test as South Africa piled up a commanding 489 all out in their first innings. The visitors were propelled by brilliant lower-order contributions, with Senuran Muthusamy scoring a maiden Test century (109 off 206) and Marco Jansen playing a fiery 93 off 91 balls, hammering seven sixes along the way.

Kuldeep Yadav on India’s outlook

After the day’s play, India’s left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav emphasized the importance of batting well on the third day. Speaking at the post-day press conference, he said the team is taking the game “session by session” and focusing on building innings to stay competitive.

“Obviously, we just batted for six overs today, so we have to bat really well tomorrow. Every session is important, and if we bat for five sessions, we’ll be in a good position to decide what to do next,” Kuldeep said.

He also spoke about his bowling approach, noting that he was concentrating on creating opportunities, rather than overthinking the spin.

Kuldeep fought with the ball in Guwahati

Among India’s bowlers, Kuldeep Yadav was the pick of the lot, finishing with figures of 4 for 115 from 29.1 overs, while Ravindra Jadeja picked two wickets, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj also claimed two each.

Washington Sundar went wicketless but bowled economically. Despite these efforts, the Indian attack struggled to contain the South African batsmen on a track that offered little assistance.

Kuldeep’s four wickets were crucial in breaking partnerships, particularly dismissing Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, and Mulder. His 30-over spell underlined his role as a workhorse for India, though the team will have to collectively step up with the bat to counter South Africa’s imposing total.