Overview
- Play ended early for bad light with South Africa 247 for 6, Senuran Muthusamy 25 not out and Kyle Verreynne on 1.
- Kuldeep Yadav removed Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs on 49, and Wiaan Mulder to finish Day 1 with three wickets as India checked South Africa’s progress.
- Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj claimed a wicket each after the visitors’ 82-run opening stand.
- Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate described the Guwahati surface as good, attritional Test cricket and a better fit for India than the criticized Kolkata wicket.
- Ten Doeschate said Nitish Kumar Reddy was picked over Axar Patel to preserve bowling balance with two quicks and three spinners, while Anil Kumble questioned Rishabh Pant’s leg-side fields as too defensive.