IND Vs SA, 2nd Test Day 4 Highlights: India Lose Both Openers As South Africa Close Another Day On Top At Stumps

Greetings, readers. Welcome to everyone joining us early this Tuesday, as we build up to the start of the fourth day of the second and final India vs South Africa Test in Guwahati.

India are potentially inching closer towards a home Test series whitewash for the first time since they lost to New Zealand by 3-0 last year. South Africa hold a commanding position in this match, leading by 314 runs with all 10 wickets available to surmount more pressure on the hosts today.

Ryan Rickelton (12*) and Aiden Markram (13*) saw off day 3 without losing their wickets and they will start from from 26/0 today.

It is very tough being an Indian bowler at the moment. They bowled for the entire first two days, and then took the field again yesterday after India were bowled out for 201.

The workload has surely been immense but they have got a massive job to do today. Early wickets is what the Indian camp will be looking for.

The mantra is simple - hit the right line-length or hit the stumps, either ways, starting with a flurry of wickets will be important for Bumrah and co.

In case you missed most of the action, here's a short recap - Temba Bavum had won the toss and chose to bat first on November 22. South Africa ended up posting a mammoth 489 runs in the 1st innings, thanks to Senuran Muthusamy's century and Marco Jansen's 93 off 91.

The top-order also made crucial contributions with Markram, Rickelton scoring in the 30s. Stubbs and Bavuma scored 49 and 41 respectively.

The Proteas ended up batting for entire two days and yesterday as India got out to bat, Marco Jansen shellshocked the Indians with his 6-wicket haul which was complimented by Simon Harmer (3/64) and Keshav Maharaj (1/39).

The hosts were bundled out for just 201 with Yashasvi Jaiswal becoming the only one to score a half-century.

Here we go! 1st session of the fourth day is underway in Guwahati and it's Jasprit Bumrah, who bowls the first over of the day to Ryan Rickelton. Remember, India will need early wickets and if they get 2-3 in the first few hours, then game will surely be on.

4 overs have flown by and South Africa are batting cautiosly at the moment with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj making the new ball seam. Rishabh Pant has also introduced Washtington Sundar into the attack.

50 up for South Africa in their 2nd innings with the bat. Ryan Rickelton and Aiden Markram have looked solid since the start of the game and have been very tight with their techniques.

Rishabh Pant has introduced all his five bowlers - Bumrah, Siraj, Kuldeep, Washington and Jadeja into the attack as the hosts look for the first wicket.

India finally land the first breakthrough of the day and it is Ryan Rickelton, who departs for a score of 35 off 64. Rickelton was trying to go for a glory shot as he went down the ground to hit it over on-side. However, the left-hander miscued it with a leading edge towards cover, where Mohammed Siraj timed his jump well and completed an easy catch

A magnificent piece of bowling from Jadeja! He produced an unplayable delivery that gripped the surface and turned sharply, forcing Markram forward only to bypass his defense and clip the off-stump.

Following this dismissal, South Africa must rethink their approach; prioritizing quick runs and a positive mindset will be safer than allowing defensive pressure to result in further wickets.

This was the 3rd time in Test cricket that Ravindra Jadeja got rid of South African opener Aiden Markram, who has evidently struggled against the Indian all-rounder. Markram has only scored 25 runs off 55 balls from Jadeja.

Flurry of wickets for India as Washington Sundar gets the third wicket and it's the South African captain Temba Bavuma, who leaves cheaply for 3 off 11.

He attempted to turn a tossed-up delivery on the leg side, but the ball flicked off his gloves and carried straight to Nitish Reddy at leg slip. The safe catch quickly rectified the error of the previous dropped chance.

It has been a great session so far for India, scalping 3 wickets in the opening hours and pushing the South Africans to the backfoot. Excellent bowling display by Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, who combined together to dislodge the top order cheaply.

However, they need more wickets to try and stop the visitors from posting 500 runs on the board.

South Africa lead by 383 runs

The 1st session comes to an end and after losing back-to-back sessions yesterday, India have finally won one, but the camp won't be necessarily satisfied as they know that a lot more is waiting for them to do in the upcoming session. But a brilliant session regardless, one that will give them a lot of confidence.

The only concerning thing is that South Africa are just 5 runs away from reaching the 400-run mark and if the Indians don't show proactiveness after Tea, the lead could easily surpass the 500-run mark.

We are back underway after Tea. What will India try to do? Get more wickets and try to bundle South Africa out before they hit 500 on the board. Tristan Stubbs and Tony de Zorzi will kick the 2nd session off for the Proteas, who are leading by 397 runs.

The 2nd session has started off positively for South Africa, solely because of the fact that they have now attained a 400+ lead over India. The way Stubbs and de Zorzi are operating right now, the 500-run mark will be achieved in no time. India need wickets, simple as that.

Tristan Stubbs and Tony de Zorzi are well and truly taking the game far away from India's reach. Their partnership has gone well over 50 runs with Zorzi taking the aggressive route, scoring at a strike rate of 70.18.

The left-hand right-hand combination is working well for South Africa at the moment as India keep searching for more wickets.

RSA lead by 434 runs.

We have reached the middle of day 4, session 2 and all of a sudden, the ball has started to turn like never before, but it is not threatening enough for the South African batters.

Tony de Zorzi is just 3 runs away from his first-half century in this series. Tristan Stubbs, too, is not far away from his. Their partnership has swelled to 89 runs and the lead has gone over 450.

Some positive news for India. Tony de Zorzi has become Ravindra Jadeja's 3rd scalp of the day right before getting to his half-century. Jadeja bowled a flat length outside off with Zorzi going for the sweep and missing the ball completely. The ball then crashes the left-hander's pad and crashes off-stump - confirmed by the DRS, which was taken by the batter himself.

De Zorzi departs for 49 off 68 as South Africa lead by 467 runs.

Well deserved half-century for Tristan Stubbs, who has operated as a proper Test batsman today. His partnership with Tony de Zorzi paved the way for South Africa to pose further dominance and now he is along with Wiaan Mulder to surmount more pressure.

Proteas' lead has now swelled to 475 runs.

200 up for South Africa and the lead now swells to 488 runs - just 12 away from the 500-mark. The Proteas now hold the record of the biggest 2nd innings lead in India in Tests. Australia once had a lead of 542 runs during a Test match in Nagpur, back in 2004.

Oh no! If India want to win the 2nd Test match, they will have to chase down a target of more than 500 runs, something they have never done before. After what was a very good bowling display in the 1st session, India fail to replicate the same performance.

Only 1 wicket for India in the 2nd session as they end up conceding 113 runs with South Africa's lead extending to 508 runs. The hosts only have 1% chances of winning, according to Google's predictor with the Proteas having 44% chances of victory.

We are back for the 3rd and final session of day 4 in this 2nd Test between India and South Africa. Tristan Stubbs, who has hit a half-century, is at the crease with Wiaan Mulder.

Proteas lead by 510 runs.

Tristan Stubbs and Wiaan Mulder's partnership has crossed the 50-run mark, which is well and truly, another setback for India, who are letting the South Africans have their say on day 4. It must be exhausting for the Indian bowlers, who have been bowling continuously since day 1.

Proteas lead by 519 runs.

It is not working out for the Indian bowlers at the moment as Tristan Stubbs and Wiaan Mulder continue to take the game away from India's hands. Stubbs is on his way towards a 3rd Test match century while Mulder is also closing in on his half-century.

Proteas lead by 539 runs.

Following the dismissal of Tristan Stubbs for 94, South Africa decided to declare at 260/5 and that means, India will have to chase down 549 runs to claim victory.

If India are able to do so, then it will be their highest chase ever in Test cricket.

Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul are in the middle to go after the mammoth target of 549 runs. Their first task will be to make sure they don't lose a wicket in the final hour of the day's play. Marco Jansen's first over goes maiden.

Surely not the start India were looking for. Yashasvi Jaiswal has fell down to a left-arm seamer once again.

Marco Jansen bowls at length and outside off-stump with Jaiswal looking to play the cut shot but ended up landing a thick edge behind. Regulation catch for Kyle Verreynne and South Africa are quickly in front in the 4th innings.

Bowled! That's such a soft dismissal. It was a toss up delivery by Simon Harmer and KL Rahul chose to play across the line of the ball instead of a straight bat but the ball spun and crashed into the stumps resulting in the fall of 2nd Indian wicket.

The light meters are out! Umpires have offered lights to both the batters and they have accepted it, so it is officially the end of Day 4. The Proteas struck twice before the end of day's play and after a successful 1st session, India find themselves way behind in this Test match. Realistically, the target is well and truly out of reach for the hosts. The Indians will be hoping to save the game tomorrow with a draw.

IND Need 522 runs to win.