Have you ever watched a day of Test cricket that felt like a perfectly balanced arm-wrestle? That’s exactly what we got on Day 1 of the second Test in Guwahati. It was a fascinating, grinding day where India and South Africa were locked in a stalemate, neither giving an inch. By the close of play, South Africa had put 247 runs on the board, but India had taken six crucial wickets, setting the stage for what felt like anyone's game.
Key Highlights
- ✓ South Africa staged a massive comeback, posting 489 all out after being 247 for six.
- ✓ Senuran Muthusamy was the hero, scoring a patient and brilliant maiden Test century of 109.
- ✓ Marco Jansen provided explosive support, narrowly missing his own hundred with a powerful 93.
- ✓ Kuldeep Yadav was India's standout bowler, finishing with impressive figures of 4 for 115.
- ✓ A historic Day 1 saw four South African batters pass 35, but none reached a half-century—a first in Test cricket history.
What Makes a 'Good Wicket'? Guwahati's Day 1 Masterclass
Cricket folks love to talk about a 'good wicket', but what does that really mean? Well, the pitch rolled out for Guwahati’s first-ever Test match came pretty close to a textbook definition. It wasn't a minefield with demons popping out, but it certainly wasn't a flat road where you could just plant your feet and score for fun. It was a surface that demanded respect and rewarded persistence from both sides.
Just look at it through the eyes of Tristan Stubbs. Naturally an aggressive player, he smashed 19 runs from just nine balls of spin he attacked, without a single false shot. Yet, when he tried to defend against the spinners, he scored zero runs from 29 deliveries and eventually got out on the 30th. As Stubbs himself perfectly summed it up, "You can bat time, but you look up and the scoreboard's sort of gone nowhere." That’s the kind of pitch it was—a proper test.
The day started with India's premier pacers, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, finding value by bowling straight lines. But the red-soil pitch offered trustworthy bounce, allowing batters like Ryan Rickelton and Aiden Markram to survive the tricky first hour. There was no dramatic turn, which meant the Indian spinners had to earn their wickets through skill and guile in the air, a challenge they rose to beautifully.
Kuldeep's Craft and the Battle of Attrition
If there was one bowler who truly unlocked the secrets of the Guwahati pitch on Day 1, it was Kuldeep Yadav. He was simply masterful. With no real help from the surface, he used his greatest weapons: drift and deception. It was his very first ball of a new spell that did the trick against a well-set Stubbs, who had faced 111 deliveries before being lured into an edge to first slip.
This became the story of the day. South African batters would get in, look solid, and then a moment of brilliance or a lapse in concentration would send them packing. Rickelton batted for 81 balls before Kuldeep’s drift found his edge. Temba Bavuma battled hard, but Kuldeep beat him in the air multiple times. India's intensity never dropped, and the pitch always had something in it for the bowler who was willing to work for it.
India’s assistant coach, Ryan ten Doeschate, later pointed this out. He said, "I thought the one thing we did really well is make sure that none of them got a big score." And he was right. India's disciplined pressure ensured that every time a partnership started to look threatening, they found a way to break it. Getting those crucial wickets on either side of the session breaks was key to keeping the game in the balance.
A Stunning Lower-Order Fightback
Just when it looked like India had a firm grip on the game with South Africa at 247 for 6, Day 2 delivered a stunning twist. The Proteas' lower order didn't just resist; they dominated. At the heart of this incredible fightback was Senuran Muthusamy, who played an innings of immense patience and skill to score his maiden Test hundred. He wasn't just surviving; he was thriving.
He first built a crucial 88-run stand with Kyle Verreynne (45) to steady the ship. But the real fireworks came when he was joined by Marco Jansen. Jansen was in a destructive mood, smashing the ball to all parts and narrowly missing out on his own century with a brilliant 93. Their partnership of 97 runs completely shifted the momentum, leaving the Indian bowlers looking exhausted and out of ideas as South Africa stormed towards a massive first-innings total of 489.
What's wild is that Muthusamy is no stranger to this kind of performance. He has a first-class average of over 46 and has scored 10 hundreds in domestic cricket. As the pitch flattened out on the second day, finger spinners like Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja found it tough to make an impact, and Muthusamy and Jansen capitalized beautifully. It was a masterclass in turning a precarious position into one of commanding strength.
The Bigger Picture: A High-Stakes Contest
Let's not forget the context here. This isn't just another Test match; it's a must-win for India to avoid a rare home series defeat. For South Africa, it's a chance to secure their first Test series victory on Indian soil in a whopping 25 years. On top of that, crucial World Test Championship points are on the line, making every run and every wicket incredibly valuable.
As Ryan ten Doeschate mentioned, winning at home is paramount in the WTC cycle. "You have to get a high percentage of your points at home," he explained. With tough away tours still to come, India knows they can't afford to drop this series. This pressure adds another layer of intensity to an already gripping contest, turning every session into a high-stakes battle.
Conclusion
So, after two days of absorbing, see-sawing Test cricket, where are we? It feels like we're right back where we started: with two powerful teams locked in a dead heat. Day 1 was a story of India’s relentless discipline and a historic day of missed opportunities for South Africa's top order. Day 2, however, belonged entirely to the Proteas' incredible lower-order resilience, led by the calm head of Senuran Muthusamy and the brute force of Marco Jansen.
The pitch has played its part, offering a fair contest between bat and ball, and now it’s set up for a classic third-innings shootout. With so much on the line in this series, the Guwahati Test has already given us everything we love about the longest format of the game: grit, skill, unexpected heroes, and unrelenting drama. The arm-wrestle continues, and it’s impossible to predict who will finally come out on top.
