Rishabh Pant takes stunner to dismiss Tony de Zorzi in Guwahati Test, Mohammed Siraj celebrates aggressively
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India skipper Rishabh Pant took a stunning catch to dismiss the South African batter Tony de Zorzi late on Day 1 of the second Test match off Mohammed Siraj's bowling.
Unlike the Eden Gardens, the Guwahati track has been good for batting. After a dominating first session from the South African batters, the Indian bowlers made a good comeback.
The Proteas are the defending champions of the WTC, but they are not seated in the third spot and would be dropped to fourth if they lose the game at Guwahati. For India, it seems more of a prestige game, as the Gautam Gambhir-led side cannot succumb to another Test series sweep on home soil.
Rishabh Pant pulls off a stunner to dismiss Tony de Zorzi
The Proteas batters swapped their batting roles this time around, as Tristan Stubbs was once again promoted up the order, while Tony de Zorzi and Wiaan Mulder were sent to bat in the middle order.
The second new ball was taken after 80 overs, and Rishabh Pant called in Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj to share the new ball again. After a silent Bumrah over, Siraj struck on his first ball to break the 45-run stand between Tony de Zorzi and Senuran Muthusamy.
Pitched on the good length, the ball seamed away slightly towards the offside; Zorzi went to poke the line of the ball, and that too without any proper foot movement. Rishabh Pant showed some cat-like reflexes as he dove to his left and grabbed the ball with both hands.
Stumps were called without the completion of that over, as South Africa batted the entire day with a scoreline of 247/6.
Persistence is key! 🔥#MohammedSiraj strikes just before stumps on Day 1 to give #TeamIndia their 6th wicket!#INDvSA 2nd Test 👉 Day 2 SUN, NOV 23, 8:30 AM pic.twitter.com/7NpAzZddhu
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) November 22, 2025
A fine outing for Indian bowlers; Kuldeep has a day out in Guwahati
The Eden Gardens had offered a pitch that was not only stated as a fine pitch for the bowlers but also a paradise for them. However, the pitch was bashed for being non-competitive, as without runs on the board, there is no competition.
Jasprit Bumrah picked the first wicket of the South African innings in the morning session when he dismissed Aiden Markram right before Lunch. Kuldeep was India's best asset with the ball, as he struck for 3 wickets during the pre- and post-tea sessions.
Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj also picked a wicket each, while Jadeja picked the crucial wicket of the South African captain.
Nitish Kumar Reddy once again went underused as a bowler
Nitish Kumar Reddy was called in as an all-rounder into the squad, as he replaced the skipper Shubman Gill, who has been ruled out by injury. He was then picked into the XI, replacing left-handed all-rounder Axar Patel.
However, Reddy was not much used with the ball, as he just got 4 overs in the morning session of play and also went wicketless. Another bowler who went wicketless was Washington Sundar, who was the first spinner to be used by Rishabh Pant on this occasion.
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Tagged:
India National Cricket Team South Africa National Cricket Team India vs South Africa South Africa vs India Rishabh Pant Mohammed Siraj Tony de Zorzi
