2 mistakes and 1 masterstroke made by India in the 2nd Test vs South Africa ft. Nitish Kumar Reddy

South Africa completed a 2-0 whitewash over Team India as they clinched the second and final Test by a whopping 408 runs in Guwahati on Wednesday, November 26. The Proteas also took a significant lead in the race for the final of the ongoing World Test Championship.

India's tactics have been subpar for a while now, and the same continued in the second Test. Gautam Gambhir and Rishabh Pant made a number of bizarre decisions over the course of the contest, and the head coach now finds himself under immense pressure to turn the team's fortunes around in red-ball cricket.

On that note, here are two mistakes and one masterstroke made by India in the second Test against South Africa.

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#3 Mistake - What purpose did Nitish Kumar Reddy's inclusion serve?

India A Vs Australia A Second Four-Day Unofficial Test In Lucknow - Source: Getty

Gambhir is known to love his all-rounders, but Nitish Kumar Reddy's involvement in Test cricket hasn't gone to plan. The all-rounder has been used as an afterthought with the ball, and sometimes not even as that. In Guwahati, he bowled 10 uneventful overs and batted outside the top No. 6.

Reddy also appeared out of his depth. Having endured a rough run of form since his Perth ton, he was bounced out by Marco Jansen in the first innings and rather easily sent back while reverse-sweeping Simon Harmer in the chase.

India would've been better off picking a specialist batter if they didn't want to utilize Reddy's bowling. Moreover, there's clearly no room for bits-and-pieces players in the longest format.

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#2 Masterstroke - India weren't hesitant to use Kuldeep Yadav's batting

India v South Africa - 1st Test - Source: Getty

Kuldeep Yadav showed great application and poise in the Guwahati Test. On a pitch where the other batters struggled, he put up a 134-ball vigil in the first innings that earned him a promotion in the second.

Kuldeep walked in at No. 4. While it seemed like his role was that of a nightwatchman, the fact that there was enough time to go before Stumps indicated that it may have been a strategic move as well. The left-hander produced more of the same in the chase, taking the team safely to Day 5 and deadbatting the South African spinners with solidity.

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#1 Mistake - Rishabh Pant's bowling changes were consistently poor

India v South Africa - 1st Test - Source: Getty

Rishabh Pant's maiden Test as captain saw him make a number of elementary mistakes in the field. The skipper's bowling changes were bizarre, and his field placements weren't much better.

Pant had many boundary riders even when South Africa had a new batter at the crease, and milking singles was all too easy. He didn't bowl his spinners in spells longer than seven overs for most of the first innings, with two pacers bowling more than 30 overs in a home Test for the first time since 2009.

Curiously, Pant threw the ball to Kuldeep for just 12 overs on Day 3 despite the left-arm wrist-spinner being one of the team's most potent weapons on the surface. India would've really expected more from one of their more experienced Test players.