Guwahati, November 23, 2025 – In a display of grit, flair, and sheer audacity that turned the Barsapara Cricket Stadium into a cauldron of Proteas pride, South Africa wrested control of the second Test against India on a sun-drenched Day 2. Senuran Muthusamy, the unassuming left-hander from Durban, etched his name into the annals of South African cricket with a maiden century – a composed 109 that spoke volumes of patience amid the pressure cooker of subcontinental spin. But it was Marco Jansen, the towering all-rounder with a batter’s swagger, who stole the show in the dying embers of the innings, bludgeoning his way to a breathtaking 93 off just 91 balls. Together, they hoisted South Africa from a precarious 247 for six overnight to a colossal 489 all out, a total that now looms like a dark cloud over the Indian camp.
As the floodlights flickered on under a bruised evening sky, India’s openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul negotiated just 6.1 overs for nine runs without loss before bad light forced the umpires to call stumps early. Jaiswal, the young prodigy, looked assured with seven runs, while Rahul scratched around for two, but the damage was already done. South Africa’s first-innings mountain leaves India staring down the barrel – 480 runs adrift with three days to play, on a pitch that’s already showing faint signs of wear from the relentless Proteas batting.
This wasn’t just a day of runs; it was a masterclass in lower-order defiance that exposed the frailties in India’s spin attack. Resuming under clear blue skies with the humid Assam air thick with anticipation, South Africa entered the morning session nursing a healthy platform but vulnerable to the hosts’ world-class bowlers. Jasprit Bumrah, ever the predator, struck early by castling Simon Harmer for five, his yorker rattling the stumps like a thunderclap. At 253 for seven, the visitors teetered on the edge. Enter Muthusamy, promoted up the order the previous evening, who had already notched 62 not out. What followed was a lesson in resilience.
Muthusamy, with his wiry frame and quiet demeanor, has long been the glue in South Africa’s middle order – a utility player who’s bowled tidy off-spin and chipped in with handy runs. But today, under the weight of a series leveled at 0-0 after a thrilling draw in the first Test in Centurion, he bloomed. Facing a barrage from Ravichandran Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav, the left-hander played with the poise of a veteran. His hundred arrived in the pre-lunch session, off 180 balls, with a deft cut through point off Ashwin that sent the small but vocal South African contingent into raptures. It was a moment 15 Tests in the making, a testament to Muthusamy’s journey from domestic grind to international spotlight. “It was a really special moment in front of this full house,” Muthusamy said post-play, his voice steady but eyes alight. “I’ve waited for this for a long time.”
Lunch brought South Africa to 428 for seven, a session’s toil yielding 181 runs for just one wicket – a glacial start morphing into a steady cruise. But the real fireworks ignited after the break, when Kyle Verreynne, the wicketkeeper-batter, fell to a sharp stumping off Kuldeep for 45 off 122 balls, leaving the score at 367 for eight. In strode Jansen, the 6’8″ giant whose bowling has terrorized batsmen worldwide, but whose batting? That’s been a revelation this series. With long levers that make the ball travel miles, Jansen transformed the match’s tempo. What began as a supportive cameo alongside Muthusamy – a 97-run stand for the eighth wicket that chewed up 35 overs – exploded into a personal demolition derby.
Jansen’s 93 was poetry in motion, laced with six fours and seven sixes that cleared the ropes with contemptuous ease. He treated Kuldeep, the chinaman wizard, like a part-time lobber, slog-sweeping him for two massive maximums in one over that had the Guwahati crowd gasping. “Oh, it was incredible. I had the best seat in the house,” Muthusamy quipped about Jansen’s towering blows, a partnership that not only frustrated India’s bowlers but also swung the momentum decisively. The all-rounder’s innings ended in heartbreak, bowled by Kuldeep for 93, the ball sneaking through to clip leg stump just as a century beckoned. Kagiso Rabada, last man in, added a brisk 12 before Mohammed Siraj, the fiery pacer, cleaned up Muthusamy with a sharp inswinger, ending the innings at 489 in 151.1 overs.
For India, this was a day to forget – or perhaps one to dissect in the team huddle. Their bowlers, usually a formidable unit on home soil, were made to look pedestrian. Kuldeep Yadav toiled manfully, claiming four for 115 in a marathon 40-over spell, his variations occasionally foxing the batsmen but lacking the bite to stem the flow. Ashwin, the off-spin maestro with over 500 Test wickets, labored to one for 120, his lengths drifting too full under the pressure of a flattening pitch. Bumrah, the spearhead, snared two for 75, including the early Harmer blow, but even he couldn’t summon the magic of old, his spells interrupted by the batsmen’s resolve. Siraj, replacing the injured Prasidh Krishna, showed glimpses with Muthusamy’s wicket but leaked runs at over four an over.
The Indian spinners’ flop show was stark: in conditions tailor-made for turn – dry turf under baking sun – they conceded boundaries at will, their fingers rendered ordinary by Muthusamy’s dead-bat defense and Jansen’s muscular intent. Captain Rohit Sharma, watching from the slips, cut a frustrated figure, his rotations frantic but ineffective. This wasn’t the spin web that strangled England in 2024 or dismantled Australia earlier this year; it was a unraveling thread, exposed by South Africa’s lower-order nous.
Context matters in this South Africa vs India saga, a rivalry that’s defined eras. The Proteas arrived in India smarting from a home series loss to Australia but buoyed by a morale-boosting draw in the Centurion opener, where Aiden Markram’s double ton had set the tone. For India, hosting the visitors in a revamped five-Test series – a nod to the ICC’s expanded calendar – was meant to be a fortress defense. Guwahati’s Barsapara Stadium, with its modern stands and lush outfield, has been kind to spin, but today it favored the bold.
Muthusamy’s knock, in particular, carries emotional weight. The 34-year-old, who juggles batting and off-spin, has been South Africa’s crisis man – recall his unbeaten 89 in Rawalpindi against Pakistan last month, or his gritty 36 in Chattogram against Bangladesh. “He’s our rock,” said coach Rob Walter, praising the all-rounder’s ability to anchor without flair. Yet, in reaching three figures, Muthusamy didn’t just survive; he thrived, rotating strike with Verreynne and then accelerating with Jansen. His 10 fours and two sixes were rewards for 206 balls of vigilance, a knock that bridged sessions and buried doubts.
Jansen, meanwhile, is the X-factor. At 25, the left-arm quick has evolved from raw talent to match-winner, his batting adding a sixth gear to South Africa’s engine. That 91-ball blitz – smashing seven sixes, including a monstrous straight hit off Kuldeep that sailed into the sight screen – wasn’t luck; it was leverage in action. Falling short of 100 stung, but his contribution turned a defendable 300 into an impregnable 489. “We knew we had to push on,” Jansen reflected. “The ball was coming on nicely, and I just backed my shots.”
As India trudged off at stumps, the equation is brutal: bat four sessions to save the match, or chase history on a wearing track. Jaiswal and Rahul’s cautious start – just nine runs in the gloom, with Muthusamy opening the bowling – offered a flicker of hope. But with Rabada, Jansen, and the seam attack fresh, and Temba Bavuma’s tactical acumen at the helm, South Africa smell blood. The first Test’s draw, where India clawed back from 180 for six to force parity, feels distant now.
Day 3 dawns with India under the pump. Rohit will need his top order to fire – perhaps Shubman Gill’s elegance or Virat Kohli’s steel – while the bowlers regroup. For South Africa, it’s about sustaining the fire. In this south africa vs india cauldron, where every run is a statement, Muthusamy and Jansen have redrawn the battle lines. The Proteas lead by 480; India trail by a chasm. But cricket, as ever, reserves its twists for the morrow.
What a day it was – one that will be replayed in highlights reels, dissected in press boxes, and debated in fan forums. Muthusamy’s ton: a dream realized. Jansen’s near-miss: a warning shot. India: a long way back, indeed.
In the broader tapestry of this series, South Africa’s resurgence is no fluke. Their tour of India, kicking off with the Centurion stalemate, has been a blend of resilience and reinvention. Bavuma’s leadership, quiet yet incisive, has fostered a team ethic where lower-order runs are currency. Recall Day 1 here: a fluent 247 for six, built on half-centuries from Bavuma (78) and David Bedingham (64), only for the tail to elevate it to epic proportions.
India’s home record – unbeaten in Tests since 2012 – hangs by a thread. The absence of rested stars like Ravindra Jadeja has hurt, but deeper issues lurk: spin’s predictability, pace’s inconsistency. Kuldeep’s four wickets were a silver lining, his wrong’un troubling Jansen briefly, but the economy of 2.87 spoke of containment, not conquest.
Looking ahead, Day 3 could see India grind through the morning, aiming for 150 by tea. But if Jansen strikes early with the new ball, or if Keshav Maharaj’s left-arm spin weaves magic, the collapse could cascade. Weather gods, with forecasts of clear skies turning cloudy, add intrigue – will the pitch crack, aiding Ashwin’s guile?
For Muthusamy, this ton is catharsis. From KZN’s coastal fields to Eden Gardens’ roar (his debut hundred nearly came there in 2021), he’s embodied South Africa’s fighting spirit. Jansen, the prodigy, eyes all-round immortality, his 93 a reminder that height isn’t just for intimidation.
As the teams disperse into the Guwahati night, one truth endures: in south africa vs india battles, totals like 489 aren’t just numbers; they’re narratives waiting to unfold. India must summon their inner warriors. South Africa? They’re already feasting.
The stage is set. The chase begins.