Marco Jansen’s once-in-46-years burst powers South Africa towards a milestone India haven’t ceded in 25 years

Marco Jansen became the fourth South African fast bowler to pick up a five-wicket haul in India in a Test match

A day after smashing a blazing 91-ball 93 in Guwahati to help South Africa post a daunting 489 in the second Test, 6-foot-8 pacer Marco Jansen returned to star with the ball, taking 6 for 48 on Day 3 to put the visitors on the brink of a 25-year repeat. On the same pitch that Kuldeep Yadav had likened to a “road”, Jansen’s burst skittled India for just 201, before South Africa stretched their lead to 314 with one wicket down in the second innings.

South Africa's Marco Jansen bowls during the third day of the second test match against India at ACA Stadium, in Guwahati on Monday (Pitamber Newar )

Jansen became the fourth South African fast bowler to pick up a five-wicket haul in India in a Test match, joining the likes of Lance Klusener (8/64, Kolkata, 1996), Dale Steyn ( 5/23 in Ahmedabad, 2008, and 7/51 in Nagpur, 2010), and Kyle Abbot (5/40 in Delhi in 2015). He also became the third left-arm quick to pick up a fifer in India since 1988, after Zaheer Khan (thrice) and Mitchell Johnson (Mohali, 2010).

Jansen's 6 for 48 was also the best bowling performance by a left-arm quick in a Test match in India in 46 years, the last of its kind witnessed in 1979, by Australia's Geoff Dymock (7/67) in Kanpur. And with the bowling performance being part of his all-round heroics, he became the second South African after Nicky Boje (Bengaluru, 2000) to score a fifty and pick up a five-wicket haul in a Test match in India since the start of this millennium. The only other visiting player to achieve this feat was West Indies' Jason Holder (Hyderabad, 2008).

Jansen’s modus operandi in claiming his six wickets was the short ball. The tactic earned him all six scalps for just 19 runs across 62 deliveries. Since 2006, only three other fast bowlers have taken six wickets in a Test innings using short-pitched bowling: New Zealand’s Neil Wagner (twice — against Australia in 2016 and the West Indies in 2017) and Zimbabwe’s Blessing Muzarabani against Ireland in 2025. In Asian conditions, only two bowlers have previously taken five wickets with short balls — Yasir Arafat against India in Bengaluru (2007) and Anrich Nortje against Pakistan in Rawalpindi (2021).

Despite the 288-run lead, South Africa decided against enforcing a follow-on. At stumps on the third day, South Africa were 26 for no loss and had consolidated their overall lead to 314, aiming to give India a target in excess of 450 and with 120 overs in hand for their bowlers.

Jansen's performance put the visitors firmly in place for their second-ever Test series win on Indian soil, the previous being in 2000.