Marco Jansen's 6-48 helps South Africa to commanding 314-run lead over India in 2nd cricket test

Jansen’s burst was the third-best bowling figures for a South African pacer in India, and the fourth best for a left-arm pacer overall. It combined with Simon Harmer’s 3-64 to collapse the top of the Indian order in a heap on either side of tea.

“There is nice pace and bounce in the wicket,” Jansen said. “Once we saw the bounce, we wanted to realize it. I think the spinners did a good job early on and I am lucky to cash in. We thought we were going to field for at least two days. I took off steam last evening (after missing a test hundred), and today was as about doing a job for my team.”

Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was India’s top scorer with 58 runs with Washington Sundar adding 48.

India’s Atleast Jaiswal and Lokesh Rahul put up a fight in the first hour of play by adding 65 runs off 129 balls before Keshav Maharaj (1-29) struck in the 22nd over with Rahul caught at slip.

Harmer followed by dismissing Jaiswal in the 33rd over with a delivery that bounced a little more than the opener expected with Jansen taking a low catch at backward point. Sai Sudharsan then never appeared comfortable against spin, and was caught at midwicket two overs later playing a rash stroke to Harmer.

Jansen then struck for the first time before tea with Dhruv Jurel out for an 11-ball duck after being promoted to number four in the absence of injured Shubman Gill.

India slid from 95-1 to 102-4 in the space of 19 deliveries before the tea break. It didn’t get any better in the second session as stand-in skipper Rishabh Pant was caught behind almost immediately, leaving India 105-5.

Nitish Reddy (10) was caught at gully, with a bounce from Jansen surprising him as Markram took a stunning one-handed catch. Jadeja was then caught in the cordon for six runs as Jansen’s burst of four wickets left India struggling at 122-7.

Overall, across the tea break, India had lost six wickets for 27 runs in just 11.1 overs.

Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav then brought a bit of stability by scoring 72 runs over 208 deliveries. But Harmer got the breakthrough in the 79th over, with Sundar caught at slip. Jansen then returned to dismiss Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah quickly and finish off a hapless Indian batting performance.

Jansen had scored 97 runs in South Africa’s first innings – only the third visiting player to achieve the double of 50 runs and a five-wicket haul in the same test in India.

World test champion South Africa leads the two-test series after winning the opener in Kolkata by 30 runs. The Proteas are chasing a first test series win on Indian soil since 2000-01.

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