JANSEN HURTS INDIA AGAIN, SOUTH AFRICA SENSE VICTORY

The Proteas take an overall lead of 314 at the end of Day 3

Marco Jansen continued to torment India in the second and final Test in Guwahati as the lanky quick claimed 6-48 to help South Africa grab a potentially decisive first-innings lead of 288 on day three on Monday.

A day after smashing a career-best 93 in South Africa's first-innings total of 489, Jansen helped dismantle India for 201 at the first ever Test at Barsapara Cricket Stadium.

Aiden Markram produced a catching masterclass with five of them, including a one-handed stunner to remove Nitish Kumar Reddy.

South Africa, pushing for a 2-0 series sweep, did not enforce the follow-on and finished the day on 26 for no loss and an overall lead of 314.

Ryan Rickelton (13) and Markram (12) will return on Tuesday hoping to bat India out of the match.

Earlier, India resumed on nine for no loss on a wicket described as a "road" by spinner Kuldeep Yadav because of its lack of assistance for the bowlers.

KL Rahul (22) looked compact in defence while his opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal (58) was more fluent, often employing the sweep shot to counter the spinners.

Keshav Maharaj broke the 65-run opening stand an hour into play when Rahul lunged forward to defend a ball but was done for by the extra bounce. The ball hit the shoulder of his bat before nestling into Markram's hands at slip.

Jaiswal took two off Simon Harmer's bowling to bring up the first fifty by an India batter in the series but his knock did not last much longer.

The left-hander was surprised by the slowness of the track and spooned a Harmer delivery towards backward point where it would have landed short of most players but not the 2.06m tall Jansen, who dived forward to pouch the ball.

Harmer claimed a second victim when Sai Sudharsan pulled the ball to Rickelton at mid-wicket.

Jansen then hit India with a bouncer barrage that paid off handsomely on an otherwise docile track and left the hosts reeling at 122-7.

A 72-run stand between Washington Sundar (48) and Kuldeep proved the wicket was far from unplayable but the hosts were let down by their frontline batters. Number nine Kuldeep faced 134 balls, the most by any Indian batter, for his 19.

- Reuters

THE SPINTASTIC 4 | INDIA | ICC CHAMPIONS TROPHY 🏆 CHAMPS

 

ENGLAND BOWL FIRST IN AHMEDABAD ODI AS INDIA REST KEY PLAYERS

England, trailing 2-0 in the three-match series, are aiming for a win ahead of the upcoming Champions Trophy.

India’s Champions Trophy preparations suffered a setback on Tuesday when fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out with an injury.

ENGLAND captain Jos Buttler won the toss and chose to bowl against India in the third one-day international in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.

England, trailing 2-0 in the three-match series, are aiming for a win ahead of the upcoming Champions Trophy.

Tom Banton replaces Jacob Bethell, who was ruled out with a hamstring injury before the second ODI in Cuttack. The ODIs serve as preparation for the Champions Trophy, which begins on February 19 in Pakistan and Dubai.

India made three changes, bringing in spinners Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav along with left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh. Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja were rested, while spinner Varun Chakravarthy was left out due to a sore calf.

India’s Champions Trophy preparations suffered a setback on Tuesday when fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out with an injury.

India: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh.

England: Phil Salt (wk), Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (capt), Tom Banton, Liam Livingstone, Gus Atkinson, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Saqib Mahmood

- Eastern Eye

BUMRAH'S REVERSE SWING MASTERCLASS PUTS INDIA IN CHARGE

Reuters 

 Jasprit Bumrah claimed six for 45 in a reverse swing masterclass to fetch India a handy lead on day two of the second test against England in Visakhapatnam on Saturday.

Replying to India's 396 in the first innings, England were cruising at 114-1 batting with the kind of unbridled aggression, which has become the hallmark of the side under Ben Stokes.

Bumrah, armed with the reversing ball, then turned the match on its head and England were all out for 253 conceding a first-innings lead of 143.

India were 28 for no loss at stumps for an overall lead of 171.

Yashasvi Jaiswal, who smashed 209 in the first innings, was batting on 15 with skipper Rohit Sharma on 13 at the other end.