IND vs SA: 3 reasons why India lost the second test in Guwahati

South Africa won the second IND vs SA test by 408 runs.

South Africa completed a historic test series win in India after 25 years of grueling attempts. The former South African skipper, Hansie Cronje, who led the Proteas to their first test series win in 2000, wouldn’t have thought that it would take more than two decades to win another test series on Indian soil.

The Proteas, under the inspiring leadership of Temba Bavuma, have proved again why they are the deserving ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 winners. South Africa dominated the series, exposing the fundamental flaws the Indian team is plagued with.

In this article, we will look at three reasons why India lost the second test in a disastrous fashion in Guwahati.

1. ‘Express’ spinners

The Indian spinners are considered to be the masters in home conditions. However, in Guwahati, it appeared as if South African spinners have grown up playing in such conditions and not the Indians. The spin unit of Kuldeep, Washington, and Jadeja failed to read the conditions, or if they did, they failed to use them to good effect.

The duo of Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj put in a masterclass on how to exploit the tracks like the one that was laid in Guwahati. The South Africans varied their pace and relied on providing more revolutions to their deliveries rather than darting in quicker ones.

The likes of Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja are known to bowl with relatively more pace and a flatter trajectory. But those are not the traits that would have brought them breakthroughs in Guwahati. The Indian spin unit, accustomed to bowling on spin-friendly wickets, will have to devise methods to find success on tracks that have less on offer.

Also Read: IND vs SA: Who said what after the second test in Guwahati

2. Lack of specialists

The infiltration of the concept of ‘utility’ in test cricket has razed India’s impenetrable fortress at home. In the last 12 months, India have been whitewashed twice in test cricket on their home soil. This should ring the alarm bells as this is the worst India have ever been in the whites at their home.

One of the prominent reasons the host has lost track is the over-reliance on all-rounders. The team management has persisted with Nitish Kumar Reddy in test cricket. Players must be backed, but not at the cost of overlooking the demands of this format of the game.

Reddy, who played this game as an all-rounder, bowled just 10 overs. He came in to bat in the second innings at number nine. The way the team has used Nitish Reddy cannot justify his inclusion in the starting XI. A specialist batter in his place could have helped India avoid this whitewash.

3. Grind not in vogue anymore

In the four innings over these two test matches, the home team could cross the 200 mark only once. The hosts were miles behind the visitors in terms of making the most with the bat. The Indian batters failed to put in the grind, which is a non-negotiable aspect of test cricket.

The shot selection was horrible from the Indian batters. Whether it was Yashasvi Jaiswal trying to play a cut shot close to the body or Rishabh Pant dancing down the track just to nick it, the Indian batters failed to take the responsibility. The Proteas were going downhill at the end of the first day with 247/6 on the scoreboard. But, Senuran Muthusamy decided to put his head down and grind his team out of the trouble.

This application was missing from the Indian batters. The dismissal of Dhurv Jurel just before the tea on day 4 was a reflection of India’s batting performance. The wicket-keeper batter was dismissed playing a pull shot to Keshav Maharaj just 11 balls into his innings, at a time when the home side needed consolidation.

The Indian batting unit is going through a transition after stalwarts like Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Rohit Sharma moved on, but that does not relieve the youngsters of the responsibility that they should assume.

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