India were rocked by a brutal lower-order assault on Day 2 of the second Test as South Africa transformed their overnight 247/6 into a total well past 450 with remarkable ease. Senuran Muthusamy played the anchor’s role to perfection, raising a maiden Test century during an 88-run partnership with Kyle Verreyne. But it was Marco Jansen’s arrival that truly flipped the script. Towering at six feet eight, the all-rounder wasted no time shifting gears—launching Ravindra Jadeja for a no-look six that set the tone for a fearless onslaught. The fireworks, however, came with an unusual price Jansen was more than willing to pay.
By the time Kuldeep Yadav was introduced in the 130th over, Jansen had already blasted his way to 25, courtesy of a couple of towering maximums. It took him just two balls to add another, charging down the track to hammer Kuldeep for a monstrous straight six. The next over saw a repeat—this time a brutal stand-and-deliver stroke that sailed over long-on. But the sheer power of the shot splintered his bat, forcing 12th man Kagiso Rabada to dash onto the field with a replacement.
Yet the carnage didn’t stop there. Facing Jasprit Bumrah an over later, Jansen drilled a full delivery straight back past the bowler for four, and in the process, broke his bat again. Rabada was once more summoned at full sprint, emerging with yet another fresh willow. That bat served South Africa brilliantly after Lunch, as Jansen clobbered a boundary and three more sixes, pushing India deeper into trouble while inching closer to what looked like a stunning Test century.
But Jansen’s sheer hitting power had one more surprise in store. A couple of flat-batted strikes off Mohammed Siraj caused his bat to splinter yet again. This time, though, the big man didn’t want to delay play or make Rabada jog in for a third time. Instead, after taking a single, Jansen kept running—straight towards the boundary rope.
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Rabada awaited him there, bat in hand, like a pit-crew member servicing a runaway race car. Jansen collected the fresh blade, jogged back to the middle, and resumed his assault without missing a beat. It was a moment that perfectly summed up his innings: relentless power, unbothered chaos, and a lower-order masterclass that left India reeling.