South Africa's Proteas suffered a late collapse on Day 1 of the second test against India at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati, ending the day on 247 for six. Despite a promising start, the Proteas lost four wickets in the final session, handing the advantage to the home side.
Stubbs Shines Briefly
Tristan Stubbs top-scored with a hard-fought 49 from 112 balls before edging a googly from Kuldeep Yadav to KL Rahul. Captain Temba Bavuma (41) and Wiaan Mulder (13) also fell attempting to clear the infield.
Solid Start Fades
Openers Aiden Markram (38) and Ryan Rickelton (35) provided a solid foundation, adding 82 for the first wicket. However, both departed on the same score either side of lunch. Markram was dropped early in his innings, a costly miss for India.
Senuran Muthusamy (25*) and Kyle Verreynne (1*) will resume on Day 2, hoping to resurrect the innings. The Proteas will need a significant contribution from their lower order to reach a competitive total.
Attritional Cricket
The day was largely characterised by attritional cricket, with South Africa aiming to exploit their decision to bat first on a pitch expected to deteriorate. Bavuma showed aggression with consecutive boundaries, while Stubbs dispatched Yadav and Jadeja for sixes.
Markram and Rickelton demonstrated solid defensive techniques against the Indian spinners, Kuldeep and Washington Sundar, after weathering the initial pace attack of Bumrah and Siraj.
Can Muthusamy and Verreynne lead a Proteas fightback on Day 2? Only time will tell.