Dale Steyn, the former South African fast bowler, has commented on India’s bowling strategy during Day 2 of the India vs South Africa second Test at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati.India had South Africa at 247-6 at the end of Day 1, but the visitors managed to score 489 runs as Senuran Muthusamy and Marco Jansen dominated the Indian bowling attack.On JioStar’s ‘Cricket Live’ show, Steyn analysed India’s bowling approach, pointing out their reluctance to adapt their strategy and their overly defensive field placements. “I thought they bowled well up to a point, but at times they didn’t move away from their original plan. They stuck with Plan A for too long and didn’t really switch to a Plan B or C. At moments, they were a bit too defensive–when a batter walked in, there was a long-on, long-off, and deep square, which allowed the batter to settle with easy singles before India brought the field back in,” said the former Proteas bowler.“They could have been more attacking early on and tried to force the batters to hit into one side of the field. They kept bowling straight at the stumps, which opened up both sides–the off and the leg. In Kolkata, that plan worked because the pitch demanded it, but on a flatter wicket like this, they needed something different,” JioStar expert Dale Steyn added.Senuran Muthusamy achieved his first Test century, scoring 109 runs, while Marco Jansen displayed aggressive batting with 93 runs off 91 balls, including six boundaries and seven sixes.Former Indian cricketer and head coach Anil Kumble offered his insights on Jansen’s performance and his partnership with Muthusamy.“It’s never easy when the lower order contributes like that. Marco Jansen completely took the game away from India in that session, especially with the way he looked to hit sixes. He clearly trusts his batting; he’s carrying more than four bats, and he definitely needs a long blade. He was outstanding against the spinners and even took on the short ball. Perhaps towards the end he got a bit lazy, trusting his timing too much while looking for singles to get to his hundred. But it was a fantastic innings, and his partnership with Muthusamy ensured South Africa didn’t just cross 400–they went close to 500,” said Kumble.The partnership between Jansen and Muthusamy proved crucial in helping South Africa reach a commanding total.
