Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has come down heavily on India’s batting unit following a dramatic collapse on Day 3 of the Guwahati Test against South Africa. Describing the effort as “very ordinary,” Shastri said the performance exposed India’s muddled approach and worrying inconsistency in Test cricket.
His remarks came shortly after former South Africa great Shaun Pollock criticised the Indian dismissals as “soft,” noting that many wickets fell to preventable errors rather than unplayable deliveries.
India, replying to South Africa’s commanding 489, slumped to 174/7 at lunch, eventually sliding deeper into trouble. Only Yashasvi Jaiswal (58 off 97) and Washington Sundar (unbeaten 33 at the time) showed meaningful resistance as the rest of the batting order folded under sustained pressure.
A Chain of Avoidable Dismissals
The collapse began with KL Rahul, who pushed at a Keshav Maharaj delivery with hard hands, sending a simple catch to the slip cordon. Jaiswal, after an impressive half-century, chipped a slower ball to short third man.
Sai Sudharsan—recalled for this Test—threw away a solid start by pulling a harmless Simon Harmer delivery straight to midwicket. Dhruv Jurel, who had successfully attacked spin in the previous Test, mistimed an aggressive stroke off Marco Jansen, gifting another easy wicket.
Rishabh Pant’s dismissal drew the sharpest criticism from Pollock. Charging down the track for what he termed an “old-school slog,” Pant edged behind and even reviewed the decision despite a clear spike on UltraEdge.
South Africa Tighten Their Grip
Marco Jansen was exceptional throughout, finishing with 4/43, while Simon Harmer contributed 2/61. By tea, India were 102/4, losing three more in the afternoon session before Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav steadied the innings with a gritty 52-run stand.
But the procession continued around them. Nitish Reddy gloved a Jansen bouncer to gully, while Ravindra Jadeja’s attempted counterattack ended with a tame looping catch in the slips.
“These were very soft dismissals,” Pollock said on JioCinema, with Shastri agreeing that India’s shot selection and temperament were “simply not good enough for Test cricket.”
Experts Question India’s Red-Ball Direction
Former India opener Abhinav Mukund also weighed in, saying the team must reassess its Test strategy with no home Test series scheduled next year.
“This performance against South Africa will definitely hurt,” he said, echoing concerns about India’s declining reliability in the longest format.
