South Africa’s tall fast bowler Marco Jansen revealed on Monday that his strategy of using the bouncer to dismiss India was highly successful, as he claimed impressive figures of 6-48, putting the visitors on the brink of a significant Test series victory.
Standing at an imposing height of 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 meters), Jansen, a left-arm paceman, played a key role in restricting India to 201 runs in response to South Africa’s commanding total of 489 on the third day in Guwahati.
Following their win in the first Test of the two-match series in Kolkata, South Africa now finds themselves on the verge of their first series triumph in India since Hansie Cronje’s team achieved the feat in 2000.
South African spinners made early breakthroughs by dismissing India’s top three batsmen before Jansen took over, claiming crucial wickets with well-executed bouncers, leaving India struggling at 122-7.
Reflecting on his performance, Jansen stated, “We decided to give it a try. The conditions were different from Kolkata, so we had to adapt our plan. It turned out to be effective, especially when I got my first wicket with a bouncer.”
Jansen, who secured his fourth five-wicket haul in 21 Tests, praised the pitch, mentioning, “The wicket offers good pace and bounce. If you handle the short ball well, you can score runs. Conversely, if you bowl accurately, wickets will come.”
The towering bowler dismissed Dhruv Jurel with a well-directed short ball that led to a catch, and then removed Nitish Kumar Reddy with a rising delivery, where Aiden Markram took a spectacular diving catch at second slip.
With Jansen’s relentless pace, India’s batting lineup struggled further, eventually getting bowled out in 83.5 overs.
Jansen, who featured for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League T20 tournament, viewed his recent performance as a breakthrough in mastering the art of bowling on Indian pitches.
Acknowledging his past challenges in India, Jansen added, “I’ve always found it tough to bowl here, whether it’s with the white ball or red ball. Today, everything just clicked, and I got the pace and bounce I needed. These are the days you cherish as a player.”
Having taken on the role of leading the pace attack in Rabada’s absence due to a rib injury, Jansen embraced the added responsibility, stating, “Not having KG around does put more pressure on me. However, we trust our bowlers and the squad to deliver victories for the team.”