Team India are facing a monumental task heading into the fifth day to save the second Test against South Africa in Guwahati and a potential series whitewash at home.
Trailing 0-1 in the two-match series, the hosts ended the penultimate day on 27/2, needing 522 more runs for victory with just eight wickets in hand.
With their backs firmly against the wall, veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja admitted that salvaging a draw against South Africa in the second Test will be like a win for India.
“Tomorrow [Wednesday] is the last day, so the ball will turn and bounce more. That’s the expectation. So we will have to bat well and take it session by session,” said Jadeja in the post-day presser.
“If we don’t give a wicket in the first session, then there will obviously be pressure on the bowlers to bowl us out. For us, that will be a win-win situation if we can bat the whole day out. For us, it’ll be as good as a win,” he added.
When asked about India’s struggles to bat on a flat pitch where the Proteas racked up scores of 489 and 260/5 (declared), Jadeja pointed out that scoreboard pressure does have a role to play.
“The ball started to turn a little when we were bowling, but they were in a good situation. They already had such a big first-innings lead, so they didn’t panic.”
“However, when you are 300 runs behind or chasing 550 and when the ball is turning and bouncing, that plays on the mind more.”
Jadeja also highlighted that the toss played a crucial role in how the match has panned out so far.
“I don’t find any difference from when we played them in 2019. They almost have the same squad. In cricket, it’s all about timing. When you’re not winning the toss, everything starts from there. If we had won the toss on this wicket, we would have been in a much better situation, but that’s part and parcel of the game,” he remarked.
The all-rounder further stated that the youngsters in the team would learn from this challenging experience.
“When a situation like this happens, and you play three or four youngsters in the team, it feels like the whole team is young and inexperienced. They have a learning phase, and in international cricket, no matter what format you play, it’s not easy. If they handle this situation well, they will mature as a player. And, India’s future will be better,” Jadeja said.
Earlier on Day 4, South Africa’s Tristan Stubbs (94) and Tony de Zorzi (49) batted strongly and helped their team reach 260/5 before declaring with a staggering lead. Jadeja returned with figures of 4 for 62, while Washington Sundar took one wicket.
India had a terrible start in the chase. Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed for 13 after edging Marco Jansen to the keeper, and KL Rahul was knocked over by Simon Harmer for 6. At the close of play, Sai Sudharsan was unbeaten on 2 off 25 balls, and nightwatchman Kuldeep Yadav was on 4 from 22 deliveries.
