SA on Brink of Historic Win In India

South Africa closed in on a historic 2-0 series sweep in India after reducing the hosts to 27/2 on the fourth evening of the Guwahati Test, leaving India still 522 runs short of an impossible target.

The visitors had earlier batted with patience and control, stretching their overall lead after declaring their second innings closed at 260/5 declared, built around Tristan Stubbs’s 94. He shared a 101-run stand with Tony de Zorzi who fell one short of a fifty.

India’s spinners briefly raised hopes when Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar removed Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma in quick succession in the morning, but South Africa’s lower order played with enough discipline to push the lead far beyond anything India have ever chased at home.

Once the hosts returned to the crease the pitch behaved dramatically differently. Marco Jansen immediately adopted a short ball plan that unsettled Yashasvi Jaiswal, eventually dismissing him when he edged a cut which was taken by keeper, Kyle Verreynne. Simon Harmer then produced the ball of the innings to bowl KL Rahul through the gate, continuing a standout series in which he has consistently outperformed India’s own spin attack.

B Sai Sudharsan narrowly survived a tight LBW call late in the session, but India looked fragile throughout the brief passage of play before bad light ended the day. With eight wickets in hand and six hours scheduled for the final day, the hosts face a near-impossible task to force a draw, while South Africa are on the brink of their first series win in India in 25 years.