Marco Jansen falls short of maiden Test century at 93 in Guwahati

Marco Jansen’s dream of scoring his maiden Test century came to an agonizing end on 93 when the South African all-rounder fell on Day 2 of the second Test in Guwahati. After powerful, counter-attacking innings that repeatedly put India on the defensive, Jansen returned visibly disappointed, muttering in frustration as he made his way to the dressing room.

His dismissal came when Kuldeep Yadav bowled him with a cleverly disguised, deceptive outside delivery. The delivery turned sharply, Jansen hesitantly reached forward and the inside edge bounced onto the stumps to cap off a superb effort that left them just seven short of three figures.

Jansen’s seven sixes placed him among the elite. His tally is now the most sixes in a Test innings against India, equaling Shahid Afridi’s 103 off 80 in Lahore in 2006. He also scored the second-most sixes at 9 or less in a Test innings, behind Tim Southee’s nine on debut in 2008.
The left-hander appeared on track for a memorable hundred kilometers but slowed down noticeably as he approached the milestone. With Keshav Maharaj’s steady support, Jansen became more cautious – perhaps his nerves were overwhelming – and this change in tempo ultimately proved costly.

For India, Kuldeep Yadav was the standout bowler with figures of 4 for 115. While Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Ravindra Jadeja took two wickets each, Washington Sundar and debutant Nitish Reddy were left wicketless. Reddy bowled just six overs from India’s exhausting spell of 151.1-overs.

South Africa’s total of 489 is now the highest first innings score by any visiting team to lose a Test match in India. Although all batsmen except Simon Harmer contributed double figures, Jansen’s emotional comeback (so close to his first hundred) remained the defining moment of the day’s play.