South Africa tightened their grip on the final day in Guwahati as Simon Harmer claimed his fourth wicket, removing Rishabh Pant with a sharp off-spinner that gripped, bounced and took the splice of the bat. Aiden Markram, standing at slip, completed his seventh catch of the match, as India slipped to 73/5 in the second innings while chasing 549.
Pant, who struck a four and a six during his brief 13-run stay, fell in the 32nd over when Harmer tossed one up around off. The extra bounce made the ball climb sharply, ballooning towards Markram for an easy take. With this, India lost half their side, and Harmer moved to 4 wickets for just 18 runs, emerging as the biggest threat against India’s left-hand heavy batting order.
South Africa remain firmly on top, with Harmer now one wicket away from a five-wicket haul and India still needing 476 runs for an improbable win.
