He was the leading wicket-taker for the hosts in the innings.
The star Indian spinner, Kuldeep Yadav, has blasted the Guwahati pitch after the visitors notched up a huge total of 489 in the IND vs SA 2nd Test. After finishing the opening day at 247/6, South Africa added 242 runs more to their tally, courtesy of a spectacular ton from Senuran Muthusamy and a courageous show from Marco Jansen.
Just days before, the fans had witnessed how both teams struggled to cross even the 200-run mark in a crumbling Eden Gardens deck. But the conditions swiftly changed at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, which is currently hosting its maiden red-ball fixture.
Apart from skipper Temba Bavuma, the Proteas batters also found it tough to get going in the series opener. But in contrast, coming into the second and final fixture, most of their players made merry with the willow, especially in the lower order.
“Kolkata ka wicket to alag thaa. Yeh to pura road tha [Kolkata’s wicket was different. This was more like a road]. So it’s challenging and that’s why it’s called a Test wicket. Even for fast bowlers it didn’t seem like a lot of help, but yeah, this is Test cricket and you should enjoy it,” noted the bowler after the end of second day’s play.
He also revealed discussing with the fellow spinner Ravindra Jadeja about how the pitch did not offer any help to the bowlers on the second day. However, despite the challenging conditions, Kuldeep bagged the most wickets for the hosts. The 30-year-old ended the day with a four-fer, bowling 29.1 overs.
“I felt yesterday first session, there was a bit of moisture in the wicket, so I got a little bit of turn there in the first session. After that it was very good to bat on. Today was much better to bat on because I hardly got any turn. Even me and Jadeja we have been talking about that,” added Kuldeep.
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The hosts, who are currently trailing 0-1 in the two-match series, are at a high risk of suffering their consecutive clean sweeps in Test. Previously, a disastrous campaign facing New Zealand had ended their 12-year home domination streak in 2024.
The latest Eden Gardens debacle, where the team failed to chase only 124, has once again put them on the brink of repeating the embarrassing feat. However, after two tiring days on the field, Rishabh Pant and Co. would also look to respond by putting up a huge tally on the board. They would be eager to level the scores at 1-1 to avoid another humiliating series defeat at home.
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