Guwahati Test: 0-5 loading? India lose openers in chase of 549 at stumps on Day 4
A commanding declaration at 260/5, built on a superb 94 from Tristan Stubbs, left India staring at an almost insurmountable target of 549.
A commanding declaration at 260/5, built on a superb 94 from Tristan Stubbs, left India staring at an almost insurmountable target of 549.
Buoyed by a hard-fought 30-run win in the opening Test at Eden Gardens, the Proteas arrive here with confidence and opportunity on their side. The result not only gave them a 1-0 lead but also marked their first Test win in India in 15 years.
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“This was right up there for us. Coming to India, playing at Eden Gardens, doing something we haven’t done for 15 years, this is right up there,” he said, reflecting on the breakthrough result.
With a four-month recovery timeline, he was initially expected to miss the entire five-match series against India, which began at Headingley on Friday.
With the stalwarts of Indian cricket — Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, retiring from the longest format last month, India enters the five-Test series with a youthful core and a new leadership group.
“I think there is still discussion going on, who's going to play three,” Pant said during a pre-match press conference.
New Zealand, meanwhile, regained the fourth spot they lost to South Africa after the Proteas whitewashed Bangladesh earlier this week.
Two weeks into his captaincy, Tom Latham has achieved something which could make him feel similar to what his compatriot Sir Edmund Hillary must have experienced after becoming the first man to scale Mount Everest.
