After Six Wicket Haul, Marco Jansen Calls Guwahati Pitch Ideal for Batting

Marco Jansen opined that the Guwahati pitch is good for batting and rewards anyone who handles the short ball well.

South Africa fast bowler Marco Jansen assessed the Guwahati pitch as a fair batting surface after taking six wickets on Day 3 of the Test against India. He noticed limited swing and minimal seam movement early on, which led him to rely heavily on short-pitched bowling; a plan that proved highly effective.

While Kuldeep Yadav described the Barsapara surface as flat, Jansen views it as a balanced track with solid pace and bounce. He felt that batters who handle the short ball confidently can score freely, and bowlers who stick to disciplined plans can also succeed.

READ ALSO | Karun Nair’s Cryptic Post Draws Attention as India Suffer Sudden Batting Collapse

“It is a good wicket to bat on. There is a good pace, good bounce. If you play the short ball well, you will score runs and if you bowl well, you will get wickets,” Jansen said at the end of the day’s play.

Practice Pitches Match Conditions in Guwahati

Marco Jansen also credited South Africa’s preparation in Guwahati for his success, noting that the practice pitches closely resembled the match surface, allowing the bowlers to plan effectively.

“The training facilities here were very much the same or similar to the playing wicket, which I think is very nice as a player because you can sort of prepare well. You can wrap your head around how the wicket might play and because of that, you can maximise on your preparation,” Jansen said.

“To be honest, the ball was not nipping as much like in Kolkata, so we had to figure out a plan. When I got my first wicket (Dhruv Jurel) with a bouncer, we said, ‘okay cool, let us see how long this is going to work for’ and yeah, it just came off,” he concluded.

South Africa closed Day 3 in control, reaching 26 without loss and stretching their lead to 314 runs.