IND vs SA 2025: India vs South Africa Highlights & Review – 2nd Test, Day 3

How did Day 3 of the 2nd Test go between India vs South Africa? — Review, Turning Points & more

Day 3 of the second Test in Guwahati belonged entirely to South Africa, courtesy of the all-round brilliance of Marco Jansen. India began the day well at 51 for 0, with Yashasvi Jaiswal bringing up the first fifty by an Indian batter in the series. But once the ball started to grip and bounce in the second hour, South Africa started to dominate.

Jansen triggered India’s collapse with short-pitched bowling as India collapsed from 95 for 1 to 122 for 7. He finished with a stunning six-for, the most bouncer-induced wickets ever recorded in a single innings in India. Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj capitalised on the pressure, bagging important wickets, but it was Jansen’s spell that broke India’s backbone. Though Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav stitched a 52-run stand, India were eventually bowled out for 201, handing South Africa a massive 288-run lead. By stumps, Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton extended the lead to 314, taking South Africa to 26 for 0. 

Top batting performance of the day — Yashasvi Jaiswal

Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed a much-needed 58 off 97 balls as his knock not only ended a streak of six low scores against the Proteas but also became the first fifty by an Indian batter in this series. Jaiswal, who had aggregated just 62 runs across his previous six innings versus South Africa, nearly matched that tally in one outing. The left-hander anchored a 65-run opening stand with KL Rahul, giving India a good start. His innings also recorded his 20th 50-plus score before turning 24, placing him in elite company with Sachin Tendulkar.  

Top bowling performance of the day — Marco Jansen

Left-arm pacer Marco Jansen was the pick of the bowlers on Day 3, ripping through India with a brilliant 6/48. The tall speedster became only the third left-arm pacer since 1988 to take a Test five-for in India. Jansen repeatedly bounded the opposition batters, claiming the most bouncer-induced wickets by any bowler in a single Test innings in India. His spell began with Dhruv Jurel’s dismissal, and he went on to remove Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, and Jasprit Bumrah. Jansen's performance restricted India at 201, handing South Africa a massive 288-run lead.

 Records Broken and Major Milestones Achieved

• Marco Jansen became only the third left-arm quick to take a Test five-for in India since 1988, joining Zaheer Khan (three times) and Mitchell Johnson (Mohali 2010), the latter being the previous instance before today.
• Aiden Markram’s five catches in the innings equalled the joint Test record, one of 17 such instances, and matched Graeme Smith’s effort against Australia at the WACA in 2012 for South Africa.
• Marco Jansen claimed the highest number of bouncer-induced wickets by any bowler in a single Test innings in India.
• South Africa’s 288-run first-innings lead is the second-highest in Tests in India without enforcing the follow-on, behind India’s 299-run lead against Bangladesh in Hyderabad in 2017.
• Kuldeep Yadav recorded a higher control percentage against spin in this innings than Temba Bavuma managed during his fifty in Kolkata, and he also recorded just the second 100-ball-plus innings for India in the series after KL Rahul’s 39 off 119 in the first Test.
• Yashasvi Jaiswal hit his first fifty in seven innings against South Africa, which was also the first half-century by an Indian batter in the series.
• Kuldeep Yadav faced the most balls of his Test career in this innings, surpassing his previous best of 131 deliveries for 28 runs against England in Ranchi in 2024.
• India stitched together their longest 8th-wicket-or-lower partnership against South Africa, the stand lasting over 200 balls and beating the 98-run, 193-ball effort by Ajinkya Rahane and Ravichandran Ashwin in Delhi in 2015.
• This match recorded the first time since Nagpur 2010, also against South Africa, that India were asked to follow on in a home Test, which was the visitors’ last win in the country before this series.
• Kyle Verreynne became just the fifth South African wicketkeeper to reach 100 Test dismissals, joining Mark Boucher, Quinton de Kock, David Richardson, and John Waite.
• Yashasvi Jaiswal scored almost as many runs today as he had across his previous six Test innings against South Africa combined, where he totalled just 62 at an average of 10.33.