India’s left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja brought a dramatic end to South Africa’s young all-rounder Tristan Stubbs’ brilliant innings on the fourth day of the ongoing second and final Test at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati.
Ravindra Jadeja lofted the ball outside off and tempted Tristan Stubbs for another slog-sweep, but this time the gamble did not pay off. Stubbs swung hard but failed to connect. The ball was caught, turned inwards and landed straight on top of the off-stump, blowing the bails.
Ravindra Jadeja ended Tristan Stubbs’ brilliant innings in spectacular style.
The South African star had played a brilliant inning of 94 runs in 180 balls with the help of nine fours and a six and it looked like he was heading towards a century but Ravindra Jadeja’s clever flight and turn got the better of him in Guwahati.
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Moments after Stubbs was dismissed, South Africa captain Temba Bavuma declared the innings at 260/5, leaving India with a mammoth target of 549 runs to win the second and final Test in Guwahati.
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Notably, Jadeja was the only bowler in the Indian camp who not only put up a fight but also scored crucial breakthroughs for his team when the South African batsmen dominated on the third and fourth days at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium.
The Indian all-rounder finished with impressive figures of 4/62 in 28.3 overs in the second innings, while Washington Sundar dismissed Proteas captain Buvuma. In the first innings, Kuldeep Yadav led the team with four wickets, while Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Jadeja got one wicket each, as South Africa were all out for 489 runs in the first innings.
Double happiness for Ravindra Jadeja in Guwahati
Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja has achieved a rare feat in Test cricket, becoming the second left-arm spinner to take 50 or more wickets against South Africa. The only other left-handed player to do so was England’s Colin Blythe, who took 59 wickets between 1906 and 1910.
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Looking at all the bowlers who have taken 50 or more Test wickets against South Africa since the Second World War, only Jadeja and West Indies great Courtney Walsh have managed to do so at an average below 20, which highlights how effective and consistent the left-arm spinner has been against the Proteas.
Additionally, Jadeja became the fifty-first Indian bowler to take 50 or more Test wickets against South Africa. The left-arm spinner now has 52 wickets to his name at an extraordinary average of 19.63.
Anil Kumble leads the list with 84 wickets at 31.79, followed by Javagal Srinath with 64 wickets at 24.48, Harbhajan Singh with 60 wickets at 28.40 and Ravichandran Ashwin with 57 wickets at 22.28.
India is set to achieve the target of 500+ on home ground for the second time
On the other hand, South Africa set a challenging target of 549 runs for India to level the ongoing two-match Test series in Guwahati. India made a positive start to the fourth day, with Jadeja and Sundar taking three wickets each, but South Africa came back strongly and put themselves in a strong position to win the match.
Now, India face a rare and huge challenge, chasing 500-plus on home soil for only the second time in Test history. The last time this happened was in 2004, when Australia had set a target of 543 runs in Nagpur and India had to face defeat by 342 runs, which is its biggest defeat in terms of runs in Test cricket.
