India's batting lineup suffered a dramatic collapse on what was considered a benign pitch during the second Test against South Africa in Guwahati, exposing significant flaws in the team's approach and decision-making. The hosts were skittled for a mere 201 runs in response to South Africa's commanding first innings total of 487, leaving cricket experts and fans questioning the team's temperament and tactical awareness.
Captain Pant's Questionable Leadership and Shot Selection
The stand-in captain Rishabh Pant became the central figure in India's batting debacle, with his impulsive shot selection drawing sharp criticism. Pant's decision to charge down the pitch against Marco Jansen's spongy length ball just two overs after Tea on the third day exemplified the team's scrambled approach. This came just a day after the wicketkeeper-batsman had expressed frustration at Kuldeep Yadav for potentially incurring time-wasting penalties, remarking "Mazak bana rakha hai Test cricket ko" (you guys have made Test cricket a joke).
Pant's ugly hoick against the menacing Jansen resulted in his dismissal, compounded by his wasteful use of a review despite an obvious edge to the wicketkeeper. The captain's impetuosity set the tone for India's implosion on what should have been a productive batting day where they were expected to substantially reduce South Africa's 487-run first innings lead.
The Domino Effect: Jurel's Ill-Timed Aggression
Pant had witnessed a similar display of poor judgment from the non-striker's end just twenty minutes earlier when Dhruv Jurel attempted an ill-timed pull shot against Jansen's rising delivery. The otherwise intuitive batsman, playing at number four, chose to open his account with a cross-batted shot against a ball angled across him, only to see it land safely in the hands of mid-on.
This triggered a catastrophic collapse that saw Jansen claim the wickets of Ravindra Jadeja and Nitish Reddy with what commentators described as "rip-snorters" - deliveries where the bowler's skill overshadowed any batting errors. The gulf in skills and temperament between the world Test champions and the hosts became increasingly apparent as the innings unraveled.
Technical Deficiencies and Mental Errors
The problems ran deeper than just poor shot selection, with technical deficiencies plaguing even established batsmen. KL Rahul demonstrated clear vulnerabilities against spin bowling during Simon Harmer's marathon 21-over spell. In the opening over of Harmer's spell, Rahul defensively played a fuller ball pitched on the off-stump from inside his crease, his left foot eventually managing to cover the ball but signaling a fundamental deficiency in his technique.
The pattern continued when Keshav Maharaj bowled Rahul with a drifter from wide of the stumps on a fuller length that snipped past the top half of his bat. The tepid prod failed to account for the spin and bounce, suggesting the Karnataka batter hadn't mentally reset after playing the previous delivery.
Yashasvi Jaiswal provided a brief glimmer of hope, reaching his first fifty in seven innings through an aggressive approach against the spinners. However, Jaiswal fell victim to what commentators termed the "floating two-ball theory" against Harmer. After dead-batting the first delivery of Harmer's 10th over on the full, he succumbed to the subsequent delivery that gripped and turned away, his uncharacteristic waft with a near-vertical bat finding the edge to short third man.
The collapse that followed exposed wilted minds, hands, and feet - a comprehensive failure that highlighted India's one-dimensional decision-making and inability to adapt their batting approach to different phases of play. The defeat leaves serious questions about the team's preparation and mental fortitude as they look to bounce back in the series.
