IND vs SA: "I’m just lucky.."- Marco Jansen's honest reaction after his six-wicket haul in Guwahati

Marco Jansen said that the Guwahati pitch has offered nice pace and bounce.

Proteas pacer Marco Jansen was the star of day three of the second test between Indian Cricket Team and South Africa Cricket Team on Monday, November 24. The left-arm pacer clinched a six-wicket haul in the first innings to shatter India’s batting lineup at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati.

After starring with the bat with his 93-run knock on day 2, Jansen stole the limelight with his heroics with the ball on day 3. Dismissing Dhruv Jurel, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, and Nitish Kumar Reddy, he made sure that Indian middle-order doesn’t contribute.

Later, clinching the wickets of Kuldeep Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah in the end, he registered figures of 6/48 in his spell. Simon Harmer took three wickets while Keshav Maharaj hunted one scalp as India were bowled out for just 201 runs in the first innings, offering a 288-run lead to the visitors.

There’s obviously nice pace and bounce in the wicket: Marco Jansen

Speaking after day three, Jansen said that they tried to utilise the Guwahati pitch, which offered nice bounce and pace. He also gave credit to his fellow teammates for their wonderful effort with the ball.

“(About the game plan) There’s obviously nice pace and bounce in the wicket. Not a lot of nip or swing, a little bit here at the end. Once we saw there was a bit of bounce and better pace in the wicket, we tried to utilize that,” he said.

“Who said we didn’t fight hard? Like I said, there was a bit of pace and bounce in the wicket, which was nice. We did think we were probably going to field, or we were preparing to field, for at least two days. The boys did a really good job today,” he added.

Notably, Jansen scored a wonderful knock of 93 runs with the bat in the first innings, etching a crucial stand of 97 runs with Senuran Muthusamy for the eighth wicket, with the latter scoring 109 runs. He was ecstatic about his all-round show in the encounter and also thanked the spinners for their wonderful support in bowling.

“(Over his all-round show) Obviously a good day for the chaps and for myself in particular. But yeah, I feel the spinners did a really good job when the ball wasn’t moving as much and there was a dead period at some stage. I really feel the spinners did a brilliant job and I’m just lucky to be the one who cashed in,” Jansen further said.

“(Over getting out in the 90s) I took most of the steam off last night. Today was just all about trying to do a job for the team, which I’m glad I did. (About the pitch) I still think it’s a good wicket. The ball is starting to turn now and then the ball is holding up a little bit. So I think the spinners are definitely going to come into play more in the second innings, probably tomorrow and the day after,” the left-arm seamer concluded.

Meanwhile, South Africa have gained a dominating position in the Guwahati test at the stumps of day three. Reaching 26/0 on the board, the visitors lead by 314 runs. Earlier, they piled up 489 in the first innings after opting to bat first. The Temba Bavuma & Co. lead the two-match series 1-0, winning the first encounter by 30 runs.

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