Finance
India finished Day 4 at 27/2 at stumps after South Africa set the hosts a difficult goal of 549 runs at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium. The Proteas kept perfect control throughout the day, extending their lead with disciplined batting and a remarkable 94 from Tristan Stubbs before declaring at 260/5.
Marco Jansen maintained his excellent form from the previous innings and gave his side the important breakthrough early in the last innings, dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal in the seventh over. After hitting 13 runs off 20 deliveries, the initial batter walked back, and B Sai Sudharsan joined KL Rahul at the crease.
However, the second-wicket partnership did not last long, as Simon Harmer joined the celebrations by dismissing Rahul in the tenth over. He attempted to play it by closing his bat over the line, but he missed completely, rattling the stumps. India’s woes worsened after losing both openers. Rahul lunged to meet the ball but erred by crossing the line, allowing the ball’s dip and drop to beat him, resulting in an inside edge.
With India bringing in Kuldeep Yadav as the nightwatchman, the spinner safely saved his wicket until the end of the session, remaining unbroken alongside Sudharsan.
South Africa resumed at 26/0, with openers Ryan Rickelton and Aiden Markram looking poised as they stretched their lead to 58. However, India’s spinners quickly achieved breakthroughs. Ravindra Jadeja was the first to strike, getting Rickelton for 35 after he attempted a too aggressive shot. Jadeja then dismissed Markram for 29 with a quick turning ball, heralding India’s comeback.
Washington Sundar helped Jadeja out with a controlled and intelligent spell, altering his speed subtly to limit South Africa’s run flow. His efforts were rewarded when he removed captain Temba Bavuma, who made a simple catch to leg slip. Although India missed a few run-out chances, their energy in the field kept South Africa from running away with the game early in the session. By tea, the visitors had reached 107/3, suggesting a balanced contest.
However, Tony de Zorzi and Tristan Stubbs’ combination altered momentum yet more. The combination struck a balance between restraint and aggression, consistently finding boundaries and efficiently switching strikes. Their strong stroke play gave the impression that they were batting on a friendlier pitch than India had battled on. Zorzi’s forceful sweeps and Stubbs’ controlled shot-making gradually sapped India’s initial exuberance.
After tea, Jadeja trapped de Zorzi lbw for 49, capping a significant stand, but the breakthrough did nothing to stymie South Africa’s momentum. Stubbs remained unfazed, scoring a calm fifty. Joined by Wiaan Mulder, he pushed the lead beyond 500 runs while India searched unsuccessfully for additional wickets, even turning to part-timer Yashasvi Jaiswal. South Africa added 113 runs in the session for the loss of just one wicket, tightening their grip on the match.
At lunchtime, the visitors were 220/4 after 70 overs. After the break, South Africa resumed batting as Stubbs neared a century. After he was removed for 94, Bavuma declared the innings over at 260/5.
Brief Scores: South Africa 489 & 260/5d in 78.3 overs (Tristan Stubbs 94, Tony de Zorzi 49; Ravindra Jadeja 4/62) lead India 201 & 27/2 in 15.5 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 13, KL Rahul 6; Simon Harmer 1-1, Marco Jansen 1-14) by 521 runs.
Source: IANS
