2nd Test: Harmer picks three as SA reduce India to 90/5 at Tea

Guwahati: South Africa strengthened their grip to win the second Test as off-spinner Simon Harmer struck thrice, leaving India reeling at 90/5 in 47 overs at tea on day five’s play at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium on Wednesday. Chasing a historic 2-0 series sweep, South Africa took three wickets in the session and now sit just five away from victory with two sessions remaining. B Sai Sudharsan has faced 138 balls for 14 runs and has been engaging in a blockathon. Ravindra Jadeja (23 not out) has also contributed to a fightback against the Proteas, but India’s chances of survival remain slim in terms of saving the game.

However, the session belonged to South Africa and Harmer, who delivered a masterclass in flight, guile, and subtle variations to become the leading wicket-taker in the series. In the morning, Sudharsan was dismissed by Marco Jansen but narrowly escaped when replays showed the fast bowler had overstepped, while Kuldeep Yadav had a reprieve when Aiden Markram dropped his catch at first slip. Kuldeep’s nightwatchman duty ended at five when Harmer’s straighter delivery went through the gate to rattle the middle-stump.

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Three balls later, Harmer took another wicket when Dhruv Jurel looked to defend but got an outside edge and was caught by slip for two. Rishabh Pant briefly lifted the hosts with his counterattack – hammering Keshav Maharaj for four, before dancing down the pitch to launch him for a towering six. But in an attempt to defend a slower delivery from Harmer, Pant was dismissed for 13 when extra bounce on the ball took the shoulder edge of the bat and lobbed to slip.

Harmer could have taken his fourth wicket if Markram hadn’t dropped a difficult catch of Sudharsan, who went on to be the third Indian batter to face over a hundred balls in this series, as another session dominated by South Africa drew to a close. Brief Scores: South Africa 489 and 260/5d in 78.3 overs (Tristan Stubbs 94; Ravindra Jadeja 4/62) lead India 201 and 90/5 in 47 overs (Ravindra Jadeja 23 not out, B Sai Sudharsan 14 not out; Simon Harmer 4-23, Marco Jansen 1-16) by 459 runs