The intense second Test in Guwahati sees India battling to avoid a home series defeat against reigning World Test Champions, South Africa. South Africa, having won the first Test in Kolkata, are focused on achieving their first Test series victory on Indian soil in two and a half decades. The historic first Test in Guwahati commenced with fierce competition.
After South Africa reached 247 runs on day one, India’s assistant coach, Ryan ten Doeschate, expressed confidence in his team’s bowling efforts. His primary concern is dismantling the Proteas’ lower order on day two. “I don’t want to put a number on the score. I think it’s really important that we come out and put our best foot forward, our best bowling foot forward tomorrow morning,” he commented during a press conference. He also emphasized the crucial wicket of Tony De Zorzi, stating, “It’s a big difference coming in tomorrow and needing four wickets compared to five.”
Kuldeep Yadav was instrumental for India, taking three wickets on day one. Ten Doeschate lauded Kuldeep as a proven wicket-taker, praising his exceptional strike rate. He theorized that Kuldeep’s overspin, coupled with the red soil and a lively wicket, contributed to his effectiveness. “He sort of gets overspin and with the red soil and a little bit more pace in the wicket, maybe he was slightly more effective in the conditions today,” ten Doeschate explained. He recognized Kuldeep’s early success as a vital boost for India’s strategic advantage.
The Proteas batters faltered in capitalizing on their starts. Despite solid foundations from Ryan Rickelton and Aiden Markram, both fell in their thirties. Tristan Stubbs and Temba Bavuma also reached promising scores of 49 and 41 before departing. Ten Doeschate noted the team’s success in preventing any South African batter from posting a significant score. He believes maintaining pressure and capitalizing on scoring opportunities only off loose deliveries can be a key differentiator for India in the second innings.
Regarding the ICC World Test Championship, ten Doeschate underscored the necessity of strong home performances. He stated that securing a high percentage of points at home is vital for India to contend for a place in the final, especially given the tough away tours ahead. “Some of the tours you go on are really tough to pick up more than 50% of the points. We know it’s going to be around about 60% to qualify for that final,” he calculated.