'If India can control the third and fourth day, they'll put themselves in a position to think about the second innings.'
Spin great Anil Kumble believes India can fight their way back into the second Test in Guwahati with a strong showing with the bat on the third and fourth days.
Marco Jansen (93) missed out on his maiden Test hundred after Senuran Muthusamy struck a fine 109 as South Africa posted a healthy 489 in their first innings on the second day of the Guwahati Test. Trailing 0-1 in the two-match series, India were nine for no loss in 6.1 overs when stumps were drawn in fading light. Yashasvi Jaiswal was unbeaten on seven at stumps.
'For India, this is a must-win Test. They've had six tough sessions, and they'll be thinking about how they can bat through the next two days. If India can control the third and fourth day, they'll put themselves in a position to think about the second innings,' Kumble told JioStar's Cricket Live.
'I certainly expect a little more wear and tear, and I'm sure the spinners will come into play tomorrow. That said, it will still be a good surface to bat on -- runs won't be hard to come by. The South African batters showed today that you can play your shots, and Marco Jansen proved that by taking the aggressive route.'
Former India coach Kumble wants Yashasvi Jaiswal to spend some time at the wicket on Day 3 before he goes for his shots as the wicket is expected to remain good batting for the next two days.
'Yashasvi will have a role, but not necessarily right at the start. He needs to settle in, get used to the conditions, and adjust to the pace of the pitch. It'll be on the slower side, not as bouncy or uneven as Kolkata, so the ball should come on nicely.
'Marco Jansen will get extra bounce because of his height, we saw that with K L Rahul, who was hit on the glove first ball. If Yashasvi can get through the first 30-45 minutes and negotiate Jansen's early spell, we'll see the dominant version of Jaiswal we know. He'll certainly look to take on the spinners, especially the two left-arm options.'
Kumble said Marco Jansen's aggressive innings of 93 proved to be decisive on Day 2.
'It's never easy when the lower order contributes like that. Marco Jansen completely took the game away from India in that session, especially with the way he looked to hit sixes. He clearly trusts his batting; he's carrying more than four bats, and he definitely needs a long blade. He was outstanding against the spinners and even took on the short ball. Perhaps towards the end he got a bit lazy, trusting his timing too much while looking for singles to get to his hundred. But it was a fantastic innings, and his partnership with Muthusamy ensured South Africa didn't just cross 400—they went close to 500.'
Pace great Dale Steyn pointed out that India were not willing to try too many things and went on the defensive even against new batters.
'I thought they bowled well up to a point, but at times they didn't move away from their original plan. They stuck with Plan A for too long and didn't really switch to a Plan B or C. At moments, they were a bit too defensive -- when a batter walked in, there was a long-on, long-off, and deep square, which allowed the batter to settle with easy singles before India brought the field back in.
'They could have been more attacking early on and tried to force the batters to hit into one side of the field. They kept bowling straight at the stumps, which opened up both sides -- the off and the leg. In Kolkata, that plan worked because the pitch demanded it, but on a flatter wicket like this, they needed something different.'
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