Marco Jansen starred with a scintillating performance to push South Africa closer to a rare IND vs SA Test series victory in India, first bowling out the hosts for 201 and then handing the visitors an enormous first-innings cushion of 288. With South Africa already ahead in the series 1-0, India’s hopes of levelling the series shattered quickly on day three.
IND vs SA: India Collapses After Strong Start
India had appeared steady at 95 for 1, but an alarming slide saw them plunge to 122 for 7. The only notable contributions came from Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 58 and Washington Sundar’s 48, as South Africa’s bowlers capitalised on early morning moisture and inconsistencies in bounce.
Spinners Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj were able to extract occasional turn and lift, but once the conditions eased, Washington and Kuldeep Yadav batted comfortably for close to 35 overs until Jansen returned to rip the match wide open.
Jansen’s Short-Ball Masterclass Makes the Difference
The aggressive short-pitched tactics of Jansen brought him his fourth five-wicket haul in Test cricket, supplemented by his earlier game-changing 93 with the bat and a spectacular diving catch to dismiss Jaiswal.
No bowler has taken more wickets with bouncers in an innings in India since ball-by-ball data started. His barrage accounted for Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Jasprit Bumrah, an extraordinary feat on a pitch that otherwise played true.
Pressure on India’s Batting
Before that destructive burst from Jansen, India’s young middle order, short on experience already, struggled to impose themselves. KL Rahul was undone by a sharply turning delivery from Maharaj, while Harmer trapped Jaiswal with a ball that stopped off the surface.
B Sai Sudharsan, who came in at No. 3, played some attractive drives before falling while trying to pull, giving Ryan Rickelton a sharp diving catch.
Post-Tea Session and Jansen’s Final Strike
Rishabh Pant came out and tried to counterattack after the break but edged Jansen behind. Reddy and Jadeja received unplayable deliveries, and both produced outstanding catches in the cordon.
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Later, Washington Sundar edged close to a fifty before falling to Harmer, while Kuldeep Yadav, in his longest Test innings, tried to protect Bumrah but finally gave in to another well-directed Jansen bouncer.
Bumrah too couldn’t escape as Jansen closed the innings emphatically. South Africa Tighten Grip on the Series After a brief respite, India’s bowlers were back at it in South Africa’s second innings. Jasprit Bumrah created an early opportunity that was quite wide. South Africa closed the day ahead by 314, a couple of sessions away from batting India out of the series and securing a historic Test win in India.
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