DAY 1: Bavuma, Stubbs make steady progress

South Africa made steady progress in the second session, reaching 156 at the ‘lunch’ break after winning the toss and batting first in the second test against India at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati on Saturday morning.

Openers Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton added 82 for the first wicket before both departed on that score, either side of lunch, but captain Temba Bavuma and Tristan Stubbs added 74 for the third wicket without great concern on a pitch offering some spin but little assistance to the seamers.

Bavuma (36*) pulled and drove Mohammad Siraj for consecutive boundaries while Stubbs (32*) edged the same bowler for a boundary between slip and gully before advancing down the pitch to wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav and driving him for six over the head of the fielder on the long on boundary.

A pull shot against Jasprit Bumrah earned Stubbs a second boundary, but it was largely attritional cricket in the second session, with the tourists desperate to capitalise on winning the toss on a pitch expected to deteriorate rapidly as the match progresses.

Markram and Rickelton displayed accomplished defensive technique against Kuldeep Yadav and offspinner Washington Sundar, having survived the opening spells from fast bowlers Bumrah and Siraj.

Markram was given a life on just four when KL Rahul dropped a regulation catch at second slip off Bumrah, but it was the only blemish of an otherwise perfect morning session for the tourists until Markram was bowled by Bumrah two deliveries before the break.

Rickelton (35*) drove Siraj for consecutive boundaries at the end of the 11th over to give the innings some momentum, and Markram collected two more off seamer Nitish Reddy in the 17th with a leg glance to fine leg and a sumptuous drive through extra cover.

Markram repeated the shot against Sundar shortly before the tea break, and Rickelton, who survived a confident lbw shout against Kuldeep, whipped the same bowler through mid-wicket for another boundary in the penultimate over before the break.

BUMRAH BEAUTY

But Bumrah was reintroduced to the attack for the final over of the morning and produced a beauty which Markram edged onto his stumps to depart for 38 from 81 balls with five fours.

Rickelton edged Kuldeep to ‘keeper Rishabh Pant in the first over after tea for 35 from 82 balls, also with five fours, but Bavuma and Stubbs were happy to bide their time.

Play began at 9:00am local time, with the 20-minute ‘tea’ break coming after the first session and the 40-minute lunch break after the second session to maximise the limited daylight in the east of the country at this time of year.

The home side replaced injured captain, Shubman Gill, with Sai Sudharsan in their starting XI and dropped left arm spinner Axar Patel for seam bowling allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy.

South Africa made one change to the starting XI, which stunned the home side with a 30-run victory in the first test at Eden Gardens in Kolkata last week when they defended a fourth innings target of 124 by bowling India out for just 93 in the fourth innings.

Fast bowling allrounder, Corbin Bosch, was replaced by left arm spinner Senuran Muthusamy.

INDIA: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant (captain/wkt), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj

SOUTH AFRICA: Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Temba Bavuma (captain), Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne (wkt), Marco Jansen, Senuran Muthusamy, Simon Harmer, Keshav Maharaj.