India vs South Africa highlights, 2nd Test Day 4: India 27/2 at stumps chasing a towering 549 vs South Africa in Guwahati

India’s chase of a monumental 549-run target got off to a shaky start as both openers fell cheaply, leaving the hosts reeling at 27 for 2 by stumps on Day 4 of the second Test against South Africa on Tuesday.

Already trailing 0-1 in the two-match series, India suffered an early blow when Yashasvi Jaiswal (13) edged behind off Marco Jansen in the seventh over. KL Rahul (6) soon followed, caught at slip off spinner Simon Harmer in the 10th over, deepening India’s troubles.

At the close of play, Sai Sudharsan (2* off 25) and nightwatchman Kuldeep Yadav (4* off 22) were battling to keep India afloat, with an enormous 522 runs still needed to square the series.

Earlier, South Africa’s batters tightened their grip on the contest. Tristan Stubbs (94 off 180) showcased composure and class, falling agonizingly short of a maiden Test century, while Tony de Zorzi (49 off 68) continued his impressive run with the bat. The pair added 101 crucial runs to frustrate the Indian spinners after Ravindra Jadeja (4/62) and Washington Sundar (1/67) had provided early hope.

Stubbs then joined hands with Wiaan Mulder (35) for a valuable 82-run partnership, as the Proteas declared their second innings at 260/5, setting India a towering challenge they must overcome on the final day.

Each of the seven wickets to SA quicks - all to Jansen- came via short-pitched balls.

SA quicks collectively pitched 48.08% of the deliveries in this zone across the two innings, and returned 7/41 while doing so. India quicks went short 190 times (37.8%) and returned 1/99 off those in the Test.

Seam bowling comparison in this Test so far

India: 498 balls, 4/271 at 67.75, SR: 124.5, false-shot: 17%

SA: 233 balls, 7/82 at 11.71, SR: 33.2, false-shot: 17.5%

Only once has a team scored over 400 runs on Day 5 of a Test: 404/3 by Australia (“Bradman’s Invincibles”) vs England at Headingley in 1948, in what happened to be the first ever successful 400-plus run-chase in Test cricket history.

That's STUMPS on Day 4!

INDIA 27/2, need 522 runs to win vs SOUTH AFRICA

Kuldeep Yadav 4*, Sai Sudharsan 2*

Lightmeter is out. Both the umpires are chatting with each other. Umpire is taking a reading too. He asks players to resume playing.

Keshav Maharaj to Sai Sudharsan. The left hander goes for a sweep, misses this completely. The ball is rolling back to the stumps. Sai manages to stop the ball at the last moment. Almost played on. What a bowling from Maharaj.

INDIA 27/2, need 522 runs to win vs SOUTH AFRICA

5 mins to go in the day. South Africa may bowl 2 overs. The floodlights have been switched on. Will Kuldeep Yadav and Sai Sudharsan manage to go unbeaten?

FOUR! A tossed up delivery from Keshav Maharaj. Kuldeep Yadav tries to drive, gets an inside edge and the ball races towards fine leg fence. That was too close.

REVIEW and NOT OUT! A loud LBW appeal from Simon Harmer against Sai Sudharsan. Umpire says NOT OUT. Temba Bavuma is having a chat with his teammates and goes for a review. No bat involved. Pitching outside the line. Impact in line. Wickets hitting. It's umpire's call. It's NOT OUT.

INDIA 22/2, need 527 runs to win

India send Kuldeep Yadav as night watchman. comes to the crease. A short leg and two slips in place for Kuldeep.

WICKET!

Simon Harmer castles KL Rahul for 6 runs. It's a dream delivery of every offspinner in the world. Harmer strikes in his first over. A tossed up delivery from Harmer. KL Rahul plays across the line. The balls spin sharply and does the rest. Both Indian openers are back in the hut.

INDIA 21/2 vs SOUTH AFRICA (TARGET: 549)

Jaiswal vs SA left-arm quicks in Tests

Runs: 63
Balls: 109
Dismissals: 6
Avg: 10.5
SR: 57.79

vs Jansen: 42 off 73, three dismissals, Avg: 14, SR: 57.53

WICKET!

Marco Jansen strikes, removing Yashasvi Jaiswal for 13 runs. Jansen strikes early yet again, removing Jaiswal for the third time in four innings. He bowls a good-length delivery with a hint of away movement outside off. Jaiswal hangs back and attempts a square cut, but the ball takes the outside edge. Kyle Verreynne dives low to his left and completes a clean catch. Jaiswal is disappointed. He is looking skywards in dejection.

INDIA 17/1 vs SOUTH AFRICA (TARGET: 549)

SIX! A short delivery outside off from Marco Jansen. Yashasvi Jaiswal uses the pace, opens the face of the bat and sends the ball over the slip cordon for a maximum.

INDIA 15/0, need 534 runs to win

FOUR! First boundary of India innings. A short of length delivery and down the leg from Marco Jansen. Yashasvi Jaiswal flicks and sends the ball towards deep square-leg region.

INDIA 4/0 vs SOUTH AFRICA

Welcome back!

KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal are in the middle for the mammoth chase. India need 549 runs to win the Guwahati Test match.

Marco Jansen will open the attack for South Africa

'Good opportunity for South Africa to make a clean sweep' - Ravi Shastri on air.

Here we go ... !!!

No team has ever chased a 400-plus total to win a Test match in Asia, the highest successful one being 395 by WI vs BAN in Chattogram in 2021. The highest in India is 387 by the hosts against England in Chennai in 2008.

Only once in the 21st century have India batted out more than 100 overs in the fourth innings to save a Test match - against Australia in Sydney in 2021 (131 overs).

This is just the second time that India have been set a 500-plus target in a home Test, after Australia had set them 543 to win in Nagpur in 2004. They lost that game by 342 runs, which remains their biggest defeat in terms of runs.

Ravindra Jadeja is just the second left-arm spinner with 50 or more Test wickets vs SA, after England’s Colin Blythe, who got 59 between 1906 and 1910.

Of the 18 bowlers to have bagged 50 Test wickets vs SA post WWII, only Jadeja and Courtney Walsh (19.8) have a sub-20 average.

WICKET! Ravindra Jadeja castles Tristan Stubbs for 94 runs. He misses out on a well-deserved century.

South Africa lead by 548 runs. Temba Bavuma signals from the dressing room. Here comes the declaration.

SIX! Tristan Stubbs moves to 94 with a huge six off Ravindra Jadeja. This a brutal hit. The ball goes over the deep mid-wicket fence.

DROPPED! Short ball from Nitish Reddy. Tristan Stubbs goes for a pull. Mohammed Siraj is there at the deep backward square leg. He spills the catch. Nothing is going India's way.

FOUR! Superb reverse sweep from Tristan Stubbs. He smashes the ball towards deep backward point for a boundary. Superb stuff from him.

Still the big question - when will South Africa declare?

South Africa 251/4, lead by 539 runs

FOUR! FOUR! Back-to-back fours for Tristan Stubbs. Stubbs moves to 79 with a boundary off Nitish Reddy. The ball races towards deep backward point region.

South Africa 243/4, lead by 531 runs

FOUR! Tristan Stubbs smashes Nitish Reddy towards deep mid wicket fence for a boundary.

Siraj is hurt! Concern for India as Mohammed Siraj clutches his right shoulder and goes down in visible pain. Not a good sign for the hosts. Devdutt Padikkal comes in a sub fielder.

Nitish Reddy to Stubbs. The right hander goes for a reverse scoop. Stubs will get 2 runs. Are South Africa going to shift gears now?

A short of length delivery outside off from Nitish Kumar Reddy. Tristan Stubbs slaps the ball towards mid on for a boundary. Cracking shot from the right hander.

For the first time in the innings, Nitish Kumar Reddy comes into the attack.

He bowled 6 overs in the first innings.

Tristan Stubbs and Wiaan Mulder are in the middle

29 overs remaining in the day

Ravindra Jadeja will start the proceedings

Here we go ... !!!

Will South Africa declare after lunch? The answer is NO.

South Africa will bat. Their lead is already 508 runs. Will we witness some fireworks now?

South Africa’s batters showed remarkable composure on Day 4 of the second Test at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, stretching their lead to a commanding 508 runs and tightening their grip on the contest against India.

Openers Ryan Rickelton and Aiden Markram began the morning confidently, building on their overnight score of 26/0 and moving steadily to 58/1 before Rickelton fell. The visitors progressed smoothly through the early exchanges, with Rickelton benefiting from a few slices of luck on his way to 35 before Jadeja dismissed him as he attempted an expansive stroke.

The surface remained true throughout the first session, offering little for the bowlers. Washington Sundar impressed early on, cleverly adjusting his pace and bowling slower through the air to keep the run flow in check.

While the openers looked comfortable against pace, their overly defensive approach against spin resulted in soft dismissals—a surprising shift given South Africa’s dominance. Jadeja removed both openers, and Sundar added to India’s success by sending back Temba Bavuma with a sharp catch taken at leg slip by Nitish Kumar Reddy.

Tony de Zorzi and Tristan Stubbs steadied the innings heading into tea, finding boundaries with ease and rotating the strike well. Their partnership lifted South Africa’s lead past 400 in the second session, bringing renewed momentum.

De Zorzi was particularly fluent, sweeping with authority and scoring freely on the leg side, unsettling the Indian spinners. Stubbs, meanwhile, played the anchor’s role and settled in gradually. A well-set de Zorzi looked poised for a fifty before Jadeja struck again, trapping him lbw on 49 to claim his third wicket of the day.

Yashasvi Jaiswal was introduced in the 69th over, but his brief spell didn’t trouble the batters, with Wiaan Mulder finding a boundary straightaway.

With four sessions still remaining, South Africa remain firmly in control, having dominated both sessions comprehensively. They piled on 113 runs in 30 overs during the post-lunch session while losing only de Zorzi.

South Africa have stamped their authority on yet another session, adding 113 runs for the loss of just one wicket to stretch their lead to a commanding 508.

At this stage, the visitors look to have more than enough on the board, with India’s minds and bodies visibly drained after a relentless grind in the field.

That's LUNCH on Day 4!

South Africa 224/4, lead by 508 runs

Tristan Stubbs 60*, Wiaan Mulder 29*

LEAD in now 500 runs!

South Africa 215/4

Tristan Stubbs 57*, Wiaan Mulder 27*

FOUR! Down the leg from Washington Sundar. Wiaan Mulder flicks the ball beautifully twards fine leg region for a boundary. South Africa's lead is now 496 runs. Big smiles in South Africa dressing room at the moment. They know they are way ahead in this Test match.

Jadeja to Mulder. The right hander smashes this with full power towards cover. The ball races away like a rocket.

FIFTY!

Tristan Stubbs brings up his half century. What a knock. He seems to be waiting for a signal from dressing room to go all guns blazing. He is an amazing hitter in T20 cricket.

South Africa 186/4, lead by 474 runs

Tony de Zorzi vs LA orthodox in Tests

Runs: 271
Balls: 423
Dismissals: 12
Avg: 22.58
SR: 64.06

FOUR! Kuldeep Yadav to Mulder. The right-hander comes up with a superb backfoot punch and sends the CHinaman bowler towards deep extra cover region for a boundary.

South Africa 183/4, lead by 471 runs

REVIEW and OUT! A loud LBW appeal from Ravindra Jadeja against Tony de Zorzi. Umpire raises his finger. Tony de Zorzi takes a review. No bat involved. Pitching in line. Impact in line and wickets hitting. It's OUT.

Kuldeep Yadav to de Zorzi. Again, poor keeping from Rishabh Pant. Byes, FOUR. The partnership between de Zorzi and Stubbs is now 100 runs. Excelent batting from the two batters.

South Africa lead by 466 runs

FOUR! Tristan Stubbs slashes this hard and the ball races towards backward point. No chance for Dhruv Jurel, wearing a helmet, at gully. That's a fierce cut shot from Stubbs.

FOUR! Tristan Stubbs goes for a slog sweep and smashes Kuldeep Yadav towards deep mid-wicket fence. Powerful shot from the right hander.

South Africa lead by 454 runs

DRINKS BREAK!

India go wicketless in this phase as South Africa tighten their grip on the contest, extending their lead to 448. It has been a dominant session from the visitors. After a shaky morning in which they lost three wickets, Tristan Stubbs and Tony de Zorzi have shown remarkable composure, handling the Indian spinners with confidence and clarity of footwork. Their approach has been disciplined yet enterprising, mixing solid defence with timely strokes to keep the runs flowing.

India’s spinners have worked hard without reward, probing for any mistake, but the duo has looked firmly in control so far. With the session entering its final stretch, the big question is whether India can break this partnership and claw back some momentum before the players walk off again.

Jadeja to de Zorzi. The turn, thespeed and the bounce beat everyone. De Zorzi goes for a reverse sweep but the ball spins away and races towards fence. Bonus runs for the Proteas.