"Not the Rishabh Pant we have seen" - Former spinner's huge statement on Team India skipper after Day 2 of IND vs SA 2025 2nd Test

Former Indian spinner Murali Kartik expressed surprise at skipper Rishabh Pant showing his frustration a few times on a challenging second day of the second Test against South Africa in Guwahati. After having the Proteas reeling at 247/6 entering Day 2, the hosts struggled to bowl them out early.

The visitors kept Team India at bay and amassed 489 in their first innings. The usually free-spirited Pant was visibly agitated several times during the day as India were kept on the field for most of the day.

Talking about Rishabh Pant after the close of play on Day 2, Kartik told Cricbuzz (12:16):

"It was interesting that Rishabh Pant got warned twice and you could see a bit of frustration creeping into him. That's not the Rishabh Pant we've seen. Yes, it's his first Test captaining India but you could see him upset with a few people."

Meanwhile, former South African captain Shaun Pollock defended the hosts' bowling efforts despite them conceding almost 500 to the visitors.

"I won't be too judgmental about India's approach. There is always a worry these days on the lack of emphasis on picking up wickets on flat surfaces or scoring runs on difficult pitches," he said.

With a win required to level the series, Team India finds itself on the brink, having to force a positive result in the remaining three days. They are 9/0 in response to South Africa's mammoth total in their first innings.

"Can you beat the batter in the air?" - Murali Kartik

Murali Kartik criticized the Indian spinners, especially Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, for their inability to be more penetrative on a flat Guwahati track. The former spinner urged them to slow their pace and potentially deceive the batters in the air on less conducive pitches.

"I am not critical of such days as we've all seen them happen where you toil hard but don't get a wicket. But the one thing I did feel is from a spinner's point of view, on tracks which are docile, can you beat the batter in the air? You have to figure out a way to be in the game from days one to three before the pitch starts spinning at the fag end of Day 3," said Kartik (via the aforementioned source).

He concluded:

"So the only thing I would say was the spinners were too quick. You have to figure out a way to bowl slow through the air but with revs. That's where you create the doubt. I know Kuldeep Yadav can do that. But can Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar do it? It's 4-5 kph slower than what they bowl but with some revs to deceive a batter in the air. This is where the skill set comes in and it's not just a tailormade wicket where you just need to rock up and put the ball somewhere."

While Kuldeep Yadav finished with excellent figures of 4/115, Jadeja (2/94) and Sundar (0/58) looked largely unthreatening throughout the South African innings.