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Former South African pacer Dale Steyn said that India stuck with a plan for too long on Day 2 of the ongoing India vs South Africa second Test at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. After reducing the visitors to 247-6 at Stumps on Day 1, India conceded 489 runs as South Africa's Senuran Muthusamy and Marco Jansen made the Indian bowlers toil hard, guiding the visitors into a strong position.
Speaking on JioStar show 'Cricket Live', Steyn criticised India for sticking to their original bowling plan for too long. He said they were often too defensive, allowing batters to settle with easy singles and that their straight-at-the-stumps approach worked in Kolkata but was less effective on a flatter pitch like Guwahati. He suggested India should have been more attacking and flexible with field placements and strategies. "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," said the former Proteas bowler. "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," JioStar expert Dale Steyn added. While South Africa's Muthusamy scored his maiden Test century (109), Marco Jansen unleashed an onslaught on the Indian bowlers, smashing 93 off 91 balls, hitting six boundaries and seven sixes. Former Indian cricketer and head coach Anil Kumble praised Jansen for his impactful lower-order innings, noting that Jansen was excellent against spinners and short balls. Jansen's partnership with Muthusamy helped South Africa push their total close to 500. "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," said Kumble. (ANI)
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