A Moment of Levity on a Tough Day
On a punishing third day of the Test match in Guwahati, where the Indian cricket team found itself on the back foot, pacer Mohammed Siraj managed to provide a much-needed moment of laughter and light relief for the home supporters. In a quirky and spontaneous act, Siraj briefly turned the broadcast's Spidercam into a makeshift stand for his cap, creating a viral moment that was cheered by the crowd.
South Africa's Commanding Position
The light-hearted incident unfolded against the backdrop of South Africa's dominant position in the match. The day began with India being bundled out for 201 in their first innings, handing the visitors a massive lead of 288 runs. The architect of India's collapse was the towering all-rounder Marco Jansen, who produced a stellar performance. Jansen claimed a brilliant 6/48 with the ball, adding to his significant contribution of 93 runs in the first innings.
This outstanding all-round display placed Jansen among elite company. His bowling figures are now only behind those of South African greats Lance Klusener and Dale Steyn for the best by a visiting pacer in India. Furthermore, he became only the third left-arm fast bowler, after India's Zaheer Khan and Australia's Mitchell Johnson, to take a five-wicket haul in the country.
The Spidercam Cap Caper
Late in the day, after South Africa surprisingly chose to bat again instead of enforcing the follow-on, a funny clip began circulating. It showed Mohammed Siraj, standing at his fielding position, casually placing his cap on the hovering Spidercam. The cap dangled directly over the camera lens, much to the amusement of the spectators.
The camera operator, seemingly in on the joke, lowered the device towards Siraj, nudging him to retrieve his headwear. Siraj, showing great focus, initially ignored the prompt, waiting for the ongoing delivery to be completed. Only then did he stroll over and remove the cap, a gesture that drew laughter from the stands and sparked numerous reactions online.
India's Uphill Battle to Save the Test
Earlier, India's innings had shown a flicker of resistance through a 72-run partnership for the eighth wicket between Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav. However, once Simon Harmer dismissed Washington, Jansen returned to the attack to clean up the tail. Kuldeep fell to a steeply bouncing delivery, and Jasprit Bumrah was the final wicket to fall, edging another short ball behind.
With India dismissed deep into the final session, the Proteas' decision not to enforce the follow-on raised some eyebrows. Their openers, Ryan Rickelton and Aiden Markram, then comfortably extended the overall lead to 314 runs, reaching 26 without loss by stumps. The visitors are now in full control with two days remaining, leaving India with the daunting prospect of having to bat out the final days to save the Test and the series.
