Fresh off a humiliating loss at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, India will be hoping to get back to winning ways and saves the blushes when they face off against South Africa in Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati. In a game where they were ahead for the first two days, India capitulated under pressure on a rank turner to lose the game by 30 runs despite chasing a gettable 124 for the win. This match is in Guwahati and will have an early start at 9 AM due to early sunlight and sunset.
India it is confirmed will be without Shubman Gill their original captain out with neck issues. Rishabh Pant will lead the side tomorrow while Sai Sudharsan might get a look-in to the side. For South Africa, Kagiso Rabada who did not play the first Test has been ruled out of the second Test match as well as confirmed by Temba Bavuma. Lungi Ngidi has been added to the squad as cover for Rabada. The stage is set for the final battle in whites between the two teams.
Overview
India are in must-win territory in this 2-match series as they get set to face South Africa in the second and final Test match in Guwahati. The Men in Blue must win to level the series 1-1 while a draw or a win will do for South Africa. This match as we know will start 30 minutes early due to early sunrise and sunset in the city. India will be without their captain Shubman Gill as he was not able to bat and take the field after incurring the injury. Rishabh Pant will lead the Indian side in his absence.
Kagiso Rabada also will miss the second Test after missing the first Test due to rib injury. Lungi Ngidi has been added as cover for Rabada in this fixture. The pitch became the talk of the town in Kolkata as contrasting comments from head coach Gautam Gambhir, head pitch curator and cricket pundits led to unnecessary controversy. Guwahati will be India’s 30th Test venue and with this venue being new, there is a lot of uncertainty as WTC points are also up for grabs. No player apart from Siraj has any experience in this site.
South Africa won an important toss and decided to bat first. Jasprit Bumrah’s 5-wicket haul saw India bundling out South Africa for 159 in 55 overs with Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj picking up two wickets apiece while Axar got one wicket. In reply, India took a 30-run lead as they were bowled out for 189 with KL Rahul top scoring with 39. Simon Harmer picked up 4 wickets and three wickets went to Marco Jansen and kept India at check and did not allow to run away with it. India lost their skipper Gill because of neck injury and he did not return to bat for the hosts in the first innings. Gill was taken to the hospital and the scans ruled him out of the Test match.
Temba Bavuma led from the front in the second innings with an unbeaten half-century to take South Africa to 153. Ravindra Jadeja was the star with the ball in the second innings taking 4/50. Kuldeep Yadav and Siraj backed two apiece, while Bumrah and Axar took one wicket each. India needed 124 with effectively nine wickets in hand as Gill was not available to bat. Harmer picked up four again in the second innings and two apiece for Keshav Maharaj and Jansen helped South Africa to bowl out India for 93 and won the game by 30 runs.
The stage is set and it remains to be seen whether India can punch above their waist and win the contest or will South Africa continue their unbeaten run and win a series in India for the first time since 2000.
Head-To-Head
India and South Africa have played each other in 45 games with India winning in 16 games and South Africa have won 19 games with 10 matches ended in a draw. It is 6-4 to India in the last 10 matches with the Proteas winning the last encounter in Kolkata.
Pitch & Weather Report
The Guwahati pitch is generally considered batting friendly with high-scoring games expected. However, early morning moisture and cold conditions could provide swing for the fast bowlers, particularly in the past few hours. With both sides boasting quality pace attacks, the top-order batters may find it challenging to negotiate the new ball initially, while bowlers could exploit the extra movement for early breakthroughs.
November in Guwahati is typically present and dry with average daytime temperatures around 27 degrees Celsius and nightime lows near 18 degrees Celsius. Rainfall is minimal, with one one-rain day expected on average, and about 8mm of precipitation. Humidity hovers around 82%, but conditions are generally ideal for cricket.
Probable Playing XIs of both sides
Here, we will try and predict the playing XIs of both sides.
India XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
South Africa XI: Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Temba Bavuma (c), Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Simon Harmer, Keshav Maharaj.
Key Players to watch out for in this clash
KL Rahul: Being the senior player in the Indian team and batting at the top of the order, it is high time KL Rahul takes full responsibility and performs for the side. With the team down and out, India are hoping KL inspires them to greater heights. He needs to play well so that others around him plays well. He missed out in the last few games and will be keen to bounce back.
Jasprit Bumrah: The speedster of the Indian bowling line-up Jasprit Bumrah will hope to do well for his side. He had a great game in Kolkata in the first innings and would want to make inroads and give the team a good start with ball in hand. So, India needs their spearhead to shine and do well for his side and he can definitely deliver the goods.
Temba Bavuma: He is not just a leader of men, but the leader who leads from the front as captain and with bat in hand. Bavuma captained the side really well and scored important runs for his side. He is unbeaten as captain and would want to carry that forward in the coming games. Bavuma is integral for South African cricket team.
Simon Harmer: The left-arm spinner who was lethal in Kolkata will want to call the shots in Guwahati as well. His 8 wickets in the match went a long way in giving Proteas the loss. With conditions likely to favour spin and India having plethora of left-handers, Harmer will be licking in lips and deliver a good spell for his side in this crucial game.
Key Stats/Records to watch out for in this clash
- Mohammed Siraj who has 41 wickets to his name is one wicket away from equalling Blessing Muzarabani’s wicket tally of 42 wickets as the highest wicket-taker in 2025.
- Keshav Maharaj is 9 wickets away from Vernon Philander’s 224 Test wickets.
- Rishabh Pant with 92 sixes to his name is 5 sixes away from surpassing Jacques Kallis’ tally of 97 sixes.
- South Africa can become the only visiting team to win a Test series in India multiple times since 2000. They defeated India 2-0 in 2000.
Predicted/Possible Outcome of the match
It is tough to predict a winner with both sides having their own issues. India playing at home could be favourites, but their recent record is not good at home. South Africa are on a roll and have momentum with them. Can India level things up? Only time will tell as they have to bat well and play on a different surface and do well for his side.
We are choosing South Africa as winners to win the series 2-0 in a 2-match Test series but India also has the ingredients to win the match and level series 1-1. Let’s see how things unfold in Guwahati.
Also Read:Â IND vs SA: The Fearless Temba Bavuma Continues Making His Legacy