JANSEN’S DOMINANT BURST PUTS PROTEAS IN COMMAND
Marco Jansen delivered a match‑defining display in the second Test against the India national cricket team in Guwahati, powering the South Africa national cricket team into a commanding position.
After smashing a rapid 93 with the bat, Jansen followed up sensationally with 6 wickets for 48 runs on Day 3: The best by a left‑arm quick in India in 46 years.
The innings quickly tilted the balance. India were bowled out for just 201, handed a massive deficit, and South Africa extended that lead to 314 before choosing not to enforce the follow‑on.
Jansen’s six wickets came almost exclusively via the short ball. He managed six scalps for only 19 runs across 62 deliveries, an extraordinary feat in Asian conditions.
In doing so, he became only the fourth South African fast bowler to claim a five‑wicket haul on Indian soil (joining legends like Dale Steyn and Lance Klusener) and the third left‑arm quick to do so since 1988.
With this all‑round performance, the Proteas are very well positioned to secure just their second-ever Test series win in India. The first came back in 2000.
Jansen’s rise is accelerating: From brutal batting to devastating pace bowling, he’s becoming the kind of game‑changer opposition dread and South Africa relish.
Image credit: Daily Maverick