With South Africa’s lead soaring past 500 runs, stand-in captain Rishabh Pant has turned to part-time option Yashasvi Jaiswal, signalling India’s growing desperation for a breakthrough on Day 4 in Guwahati.
The visitors moved to 215/4, stretching their overall lead to 503, and with the surface slowing down, India’s frontline attack has looked largely ineffective. Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja have toiled without much reward, and as the Proteas continued to rotate strike with ease, Pant opted to bring on the Indian opener in search of something—anything—to break the stand.
Jaiswal began with a fuller length to Tristan Stubbs and then beat the batters with a couple of slower, drifting leg-breaks, but the South African pair of Stubbs (57 off 149) and Mulder (27 off 41) looked untroubled as they continued to build a frustrating partnership.
With nearly 30 overs left in the day and India without a wicket in the session, the hosts now stare at a near-impossible chase in the fourth innings on a deteriorating wicket. The field remains spread out, slip cordon down to just one, indicating India’s mindset shifting more towards containment than aggression.
South Africa, meanwhile, appear determined to bat India out of the contest entirely, eyeing a 2–0 whitewash and a rare Test series win on Indian soil.
