India’s long-running woes at the toss continued on Saturday, even under a new leader.
As Guwahati hosted its first-ever Test match. Rishabh Pant, captaining India for the first time in the second and final Test against South Africa at the Barsapara Stadium, saw his maiden toss go the wrong way. Pant flipped the coin, Temba Bavuma called heads, and the Proteas captain was proven right.
Pant became India’s 38th Test captain and the first wicketkeeper-batter to lead the side since MS Dhoni. South Africa elected to bat, taking early advantage on a surface expected to be batting-friendly for the first two days before slowing down and aiding spin because of its red-soil base.
For India, the toss outcome was a continuation of a frustrating pattern: this was their eighth loss in nine Tests. Shubman Gill, ruled out of the Guwahati Test with a neck injury, had endured a similar streak earlier this year when he lost all five tosses in England but still managed to secure a 2–2 draw in his debut series as captain. Gill did win a toss against the West Indies in Delhi, but the setback returned in Kolkata last week, where India fell short on a treacherous pitch and failed to chase 124 in the final innings.
Pant had been seen by many as a potential change in fortune, but the script remained unchanged.
“We feel the wicket is good for batting. But bowling first is not a bad option either,” Pant said, downplaying the toss’ impact.
India Make Two Changes
India made two adjustments to their XI, bringing in Sai Sudharsan for Axar Patel and Nitish Kumar Reddy for the injured Gill. There was speculation that India could draft in an additional right-hander from outside the squad to break the dominance of left-handers — they fielded six southpaws in Kolkata — but the management stayed with the available group. Sudharsan, left out in the first Test, is expected to take over the No. 3 position.
South Africa made one change, replacing pacer Corbin Bosch with spin-bowling all-rounder Senuran Muthusamy as they opted for a three-spinner attack, anticipating assistance later in the match.
IND vs SA, 2nd Test – Playing XIs
South Africa: Markram, Rickelton, Stubbs, Bavuma (C), de Zorzi, Mulder, Muthusamy, Verreynne (WK), Jansen, Harmer, Maharaj. India: Rahul, Jaiswal, Sudharsan, Jurel, Pant (C/WK), Jadeja, Reddy, Sundar, Kuldeep, Bumrah, Siraj.
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