South African skipper Temba Bavuma won the toss and elected to bat first in the second Test against India at Guwahati’s Barsapara Stadium on Saturday. India trails 1-0 in the two-match series and must win to avoid a consecutive series loss. India has suffered a four-match losing streak at home against SENA teams and faced a historic whitewash by New Zealand last year.
This is the first-ever Test hosted in Guwahati, marking Barsapara Stadium as India’s 30th venue for red-ball international cricket. Bavuma called it a “historic moment” and said the pitch looks good to bat first.
India’s stand-in skipper Rishabh Pant, filling in for Shubman Gill, expressed pride in leading the team. Pant emphasized teamwork, focus, and taking advantage of the opportunity. Gill missed the match due to a neck injury. India made two changes: Nitish Reddy replaces Gill, and Sai Sudharsan replaces Axar Patel.
Pant also highlighted the wicket’s balanced nature, noting that bowling first could also be an option. Both teams announced their playing XI, including KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, Marco Jansen, and Simon Harmer.
The Test will follow a unique schedule. Play will begin at 9:00 AM IST, earlier than usual, to maximize daylight hours, with the possibility of starting at 8:30 AM IST if extra overs are required. In a historic first for a day Test, the match will feature a tea break before lunch.
The first session ends at 11:00 AM IST, followed by a 40-minute tea break. The second session runs from 11:20 AM to 1:20 PM IST, with lunch for 40 minutes. The final session will be from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM IST, extendable by 30 minutes if needed.
Officials explained the break schedule change due to early sunrise and sunset times in Guwahati. The region experiences sunset around 4:30 PM IST this week, limiting natural light for play. This adjustment ensures teams complete maximum overs before bad light interrupts the game. The move is unprecedented in 148 years of Test cricket and demonstrates adaptability in Indian cricket scheduling for new venues. The historic Test will test players while giving fans in Guwahati their first chance to witness international red-ball cricket live.
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Swastika Sruti is a Senior Sub Editor at NewsX Digital with 5 years of experience shaping stories that matter. She loves tracking politics- national and global trends, and never misses a chance to dig deeper into policies and developments. Passionate about what’s happening around us, she brings sharp insight and clarity to every piece she works on. When not curating news, she’s busy exploring what’s next in the world of public interest. You can reach her at (swastika.newsx@gmail.com)
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