IND vs SA: Kuldeep's 134-ball innings in Guwahati is longest by any Indian batter this series

India had another disappointing batting performance at home and third in two Tests against South Africa. On day 3 (Nov 24) of the ongoing second Test in Guwahati, the hosts folded out for merely 201 runs in their first innings and conceded a lead of 288 runs. The only shining point for India was Kuldeep Yadav's stay at the crease. Kuldeep, primarily a spinner, scored on 19 runs but played 134 balls - the highest by any batter for India in this series. The record also shows how proper Indian batters failed to spend time on the crease.

Kuldeep shows the way to bat

Kuldeep's 134-ball stay at the crease showed that it wasn't the pitch but the application by the batters which mattered. Kuldeep is only the second Indian player behind KL Rahul's 119-ball stay in Kolkata to play more than 100 balls in an innings in the ongoing series. Overall, Kuldeep has played 155 balls in the series - the third most behind Washington Sunday (266) and KL Rahul (188). The poor performance has left India on verge losing second home Test series against a top side after losing 0-3 to New Zealand last year which costed them a potential place in the WTC Final.

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Marco Jansen runs riot in Guwahati

Unlike the case in the first Test where South African spinners made Indian batters dance, pacer Marco Jansen took lead in Guwahati. The lanky left-arm bowler, on a traditional Indian pitch, extracted more bounce than any other bowler and claimed six wickets. Jansen had also scored 93 runs in the first innings after coming in to bat at number 9 and played a vital role in taking his team the formidable first innings total of 489. In their pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada's absence, Jansen has surely stepped up and done it in some style.