The final day of the second Test between India national cricket team and South Africa national cricket team at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati, opened with India resuming at a precarious 27/2 in pursuit of a seemingly unassailable 549 runs. But the morning session belonged to the visitors — and especially to off-spinner Simon Harmer, whose guile and mastery over the turning Guwahati surface left the hosts reeling. 

Harmer struck early and often. He first trapped the nightwatchman — a struggling Kuldeep Yadav — for 5, using subtle turn and bounce to send the stumps cartwheeling. Just three balls later, that same variation had Punjab’s young glovesman Dhruv Jurel edging to slip for a meek 2, making it 29/4 in just a few overs. 

As the morning wore on, even the Indian captain — Rishabh Pant — could not stem the tide. Pant showed fleeting signs of resistance, lofting a six off Keshav Maharaj and seemingly looking to launch a fightback. But a slower one from Harmer, keeping fuller and turning a fraction more sharply, drew an outside-edge that flew to slip. Pant fell for 13.

By tea, India stood at 90/5 in 47 overs. The only players offering any semblance of resistance were veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja — unbeaten on 23 — and junior batter Sai Sudharsan (14 not out), but the damage had been done. Harmer finished the session with figures of 4/23 overall, and the host side’s hopes of even a draw looked increasingly remote.

This collapse comes after a dominant performance from South Africa in their second innings. Declaring at 260/5 (after 489 in first innings) — powered by a nerveless 94 from Tristan Stubbs — the Proteas set India a target that many believed was beyond redemption. 

The wicket at Barsapara proved to be a fickle adversary for India. What looked like a benign batting surface during South Africa’s innings transformed — as the sun rose and the pitch wore — into a turning, unpredictable track that offered extra bounce and sharp deviation to spinners. Harmer exploited this variation with uncanny consistency.

Adding to India’s woes was the absence of key players — injured skipper Shubman Gill missed the Test, forcing Pant’s side to field a somewhat unsettled line-up. 

As tea was signalled, there was little to suggest a miraculous recovery. With five more wickets in hand and plenty of time left in the game, South Africa looked firmly in the driver’s seat. The stage was set for a potential home series sweep — and India, besieged by spin and under pressure from a daunting target, needed something extraordinary to change the course.

For Indian fans, the afternoon session would feel like a nadir — hopes once alive now flickering. For South Africa, it was a moment of quiet dominance, their spinners turning a familiar surface into a trap, their plan unfolding to perfection.

Whether India could draw on reserves of grit, or would be bundled out for a paltry score, was yet to be seen. But as things stood at tea, the narrative seemed all but written: South Africa, in control; India, scrambling.