From 95/1 to 122/7: India's stunning collapse against South Africa
What's the story
India's promising start on the third day of the second Test against South Africa quickly turned into a nightmare. The hosts lost six wickets for just 27 runs at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati on Monday. It was a shocking turnaround from a strong position of 95/1 to an alarming 122/7, with no major deterioration in pitch conditions. It must be noted that SA posted 482/10 while batting first on the same surface.
Initial momentum
Jaiswal and Rahul's promising start
Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul gave India a solid start on Day 3, adding 65 runs for the opening wicket. Jaiswal, who had been struggling for rhythm in this series, finally found his footing with a fluent innings against the spinners. His 58 off 97 balls made him the first Indian batter to score a 50-plus score in this series. Rahul also looked comfortable against both pace and spin early on.
Unexpected collapse
Sudden turn of events
However, the game turned on two deliveries from Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer. Maharaj's delivery turned and bounced from length, catching Rahul's bat's shoulder and going to Aiden Markram at slip. He was dismissed for 22. Jaiswal was then undone by Harmer's delivery that stopped on him. Sai Sudharsan fell to a diving catch at midwicket after attempting to pull from length against Harmer. His dismissal for 15 runs took India down to 96/3.
Further setbacks
Sudharsan and Jurel's dismissals
Dhruv Jurel fell for a 11-ball duck, just before tea, thanks to a short ball from Marco Jansen. Rishabh Pant, who came in with intent after tea, was dismissed for seven runs after charging at Jansen. Jansen then got Nitish Kumar Reddy (10) with a short length. Aiden Markram took a superb one-handed catch at gully to dismiss him. Ravindra Jadeja (6) was the last wicket to fall in this disastrous collapse as Jansen recorded his fourth scalp.
Prospect
India staring at another whitewash
It must be noted that India lost the series opener in Kolkata - their fourth defeat in the last six Tests at home. This includes a 0-3 sweep against New Zealand last year. With India lagging way behind in the ongoing affair, the hosts are staring at another series whitewash at home. Notably, India are without their regular skipper Shubman Gill in this game. Pant is the captain in his absence.