In the critical second Test at Guwahati, India faces South Africa, the reigning World Test Champions, in a must-win encounter to avert a home series defeat. South Africa, victorious in the first Test at Kolkata, is aiming for their first-ever Test series win on Indian soil in 25 years. Day one of the inaugural Guwahati Test saw a hard-fought contest.
With South Africa finishing day one on 247, India’s assistant coach, Ryan ten Doeschate, is prioritizing a strong bowling performance on day two. His objective is to swiftly wrap up the Proteas’ lower order. “I think it’s really important that we come out and put our best bowling foot forward tomorrow morning,” he stated at the post-day press conference. He identified the wicket of Tony De Zorzi as particularly valuable: “It’s a big difference coming in tomorrow and needing four wickets compared to five.”
Kuldeep Yadav proved to be India’s most effective bowler on day one, taking three wickets and providing crucial breakthroughs, including the dismissals of Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs. Ten Doeschate praised Kuldeep’s consistent wicket-taking ability and highlighted his impressive strike rate. He speculated that Kuldeep’s unique delivery, characterized by ‘overspin,’ might have been particularly effective on the day due to the red soil and the wicket’s pace. “Maybe he was slightly more effective in the conditions today,” ten Doeschate noted, acknowledging that finger spinners might become more prominent later. He considered Kuldeep’s three wickets a significant bonus that provided India with a strong foothold.
South African batters will likely be frustrated by their inability to convert promising starts into substantial innings. Ryan Rickelton and Aiden Markram both departed in the thirties, while Tristan Stubbs and Temba Bavuma were dismissed at 49 and 41, respectively. Ten Doeschate commended the Indian bowlers for their discipline in preventing any single batter from reaching a big score, identifying this as a potential advantage for India in the second innings.
Discussing India’s World Test Championship campaign, ten Doeschate stressed the importance of securing maximum points at home. He explained that with challenging away series ahead, home advantage is critical for qualification. “You have to get a high percentage of your points at home,” he asserted, adding that the calculation for WTC final qualification likely requires around 60% of available points, underscoring the significance of the current home series.