Stand-in captain Rishabh Pant’s voice dominated Day 2 of the second Test in Guwahati, with several stump-mic moments revealing India’s rising frustration as South Africa strengthened their position. With Shubman Gill unavailable due to injury, Pant took charge on the field, and his constant instructions, reminders and corrections became one of the major talking points as India struggled to control the game. India’s over-rate issues and inability to take wickets only added to the pressure. Pant repeatedly demanded urgency from his bowlers and fielders between deliveries. In one clip, he said, “Yaar 30 seconds ka timer hai” (There’s a 30-second timer), followed by “Ghar pe khel rahe ho kya? Ek ball daal jaldi.” (Are you playing at home? Bowl one quickly.) He also reminded Kuldeep Yadav about the two warnings India had already received, saying, “Yaar Kuldeep, dono baar warning le li” (Kuldeep, we’ve already taken two warnings). As delays continued, Pant grew sharper in tone, telling his team, “Pura ek over thodi na chahiye. Mazak bana rakha hai Test cricket ko.” (We don’t need a whole over. You’ve made a joke out of Test cricket.) While organising the field, Pant insisted on handling the placements himself, saying, “Field mere ko karne de. Tu tappe se daalne ko dekh. Baaki ho jaayega kaam.” (Let me set the field. You just focus on bowling quickly. The rest will fall in place.)Watch Pant’s heated stump-mic moments here At another moment, urging his side not to drop intensity, he said, “Bhai kal poori din mehnat kari hai yaar. Chhodenge nahi. Kaam karte raho.” (We worked hard all day yesterday. We can’t let it slip now. Keep at it.) When Washington Sundar prepared to bowl, Pant again referred to the timer, saying, “Guys play with the timer, there’s 1 minute timer for every over. come on yaar” (Play according to the timer, there’s a one-minute limit for every over, come on.) Pant’s comments reflected the tense phase India found themselves in, especially after South Africa’s lower middle order continued to frustrate the hosts. Senuran Muthusamy and Kyle Verreynne put on an 88-run stand for the seventh wicket before Ravindra Jadeja finally broke through.
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Was South Africa’s lower middle order’s performance surprising?
At lunch, South Africa reached 428 for 7 in 137 overs. Muthusamy was unbeaten on 107 from 203 balls, while Marco Jansen moved to 51 off 57 deliveries. Pant’s on-field exchanges became a key storyline on a day when South Africa controlled the contest and India searched for breakthroughs.
