Kuldeep Yadav reacted to the Guwahati pitch on Day 2, what worked for Team India and what the South African batsmen did better. (PTI Photo/Shahbaz Khan) Indian spinner Kuldeep Yadav offered a stark assessment of the Barsapara Stadium surface after South Africa stretched their first innings total to 489 on a pitch that provided little help to the bowlers on Day 2 of the second Test. Reflecting on how the innings unfolded, Kuldeep highlighted the difficulty of setting the field and trying to force errors on a surface that only got easier for batting as the match progressed. “Fielding was very important and I think we did really well, but when they put a good total on the board and they tried to go hard on us and they were very lucky in that way, but when the wicket is good to bat… we actually tried to beat them in the air and they combined really well. Marco Jansen and Senuran Muthusamy batted really well. They bowled the Verynewickamleusth keeper in the first session. they were very good,” said Kuldeep. His frustration with the surface was clearer when compared to Kolkata, where the bowlers found much more help. “Kolkata ka wicket toh alag thaa. Yeh to pura road tha… So it’s challenging and that’s why it’s called a Test wicket,” he remarked sarcastically during the day’s interaction. (The gate in Calcutta was different. It was like a road). Kuldeep finished with 4 for 115, the best figures by an Indian bowler, but admitted that the help from the pitch disappeared quickly. He noted that only the opening session on the first day offered any movement due to the humidity, after which the surface changed to a surface that favored staying in the crease for a long time. “It was a difficult wicket for the bowlers as I didn’t feel the wicket helped,” he said, adding that both fast bowlers and spinners had to work hard to get a breakthrough.
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“I mean I have to be the captain,” he quipped, adding, “I’m very happy with whatever number I bowl… 30 overs is good for any wrist spinner.” India ended the day at 9 for 0 in 6.1 overs, still 480 runs behind, with three days left to write a response on a surface that has so far offered little to their bowlers.
