On the third day of the second Test at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, Aiden Markram showcased his incredible athleticism, leaving teammates amazed and social media buzzing. India’s batting struggles continued as they stumbled to 102 for 4 at tea after a challenging morning.
The situation worsened for India when captain Rishabh Pant, dismissed for just 7 runs after a poor shot against Marco Jansen, wasted a review before heading back to the pavilion.
The turning point came during the 42nd over when Nitish Kumar Reddy played an awkward shot against a steep delivery from Jansen. The ball rose sharply off the bat’s shoulder towards the slips. Markram, stationed at second slip, made a stunning one-handed catch, prompting joyful celebrations from the South African team. Replay footage revealed he had mere milliseconds to react to the fast-moving ball.
Jansen continued to impress, dismissing Ravindra Jadeja (6) in an unusual manner. Jadeja attempted to evade a short ball, but it deflected off his shoulder onto his bat and then to Simon Harmer in the slips.
Earlier, Jansen had already claimed the wickets of Pant and Nitish Kumar Reddy (10), causing India’s innings to spiral from a strong 65 without loss to 102 for 4 at the break.
South Africa’s spinners set a dominant tone for the day. Simon Harmer was instrumental, taking two crucial wickets by dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan, while Keshav Maharaj got KL Rahul out, breaking India’s promising opening stand.
Jaiswal seemed to be in good form initially, scoring 58 off 97 balls, but fell victim to Harmer’s spin, edging the ball to Jansen at short third man. Rahul followed soon after, scoring 22 runs off 63 balls, caught at first slip. Dhruv Jurel’s reckless shot only compounded India’s challenges.
What started as a solid opening quickly fell apart, as South Africa took charge, with Markram’s remarkable catch being a highlight of their strong performance and India’s ongoing struggles.
