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Thursday | February 12, 2026 | Dhaka

India vs SA 2nd Test: Ashwin four-for gives India lead

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Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin (right) celebrates after dismissing Faf du Plessis during the third day of the second cricket Test match between India and South Africa, in Pune, India on Saturday.
Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin (right) celebrates after dismissing Faf du Plessis during the third day of the second cricket Test match between India and South Africa, in Pune, India on Saturday.

South Africa (SA), just like in the first Test, began the third day in Pune with their backs to the wall after losing three quick wickets in the final hour the evening before. India needed seven wickets quickly, whereas South Africa were battling to save the game and would need a monumental effort on the day.
Eventually, though India managed to get those seven wickets to wrap up the first innings, the seventh coming off the last ball of the day as the South Africans conceded a 326-run first inning lead.
The doggedness was on display, but from the unlikeliest players in the form of Keshav Maharaj and Vernon Philander with a ninth wicket partnership that lasted over 40 overs and had the Indian think tank puzzled. That, though, was only after the top order collapsed for the second straight innings.
Theunis de Bruyn (30) and Anrich Nortje (8) added only five runs to their overnight score before Virat Kohli dived full length at slip and snapped up the fast bowler’s edge off Mohammed Shami’s bowling. South Africa at 4/41 had their best batsman Faf du Plessis (64) walking in.
12 runs later, Umesh Yadav picked up his third wicket as Wriddhiman Saha took a blinder behind the stumps to end De Bruyn’s shaky resistance and leave the Proteas tottering at 5/53.
Quinton de Kock, a hero from the first innings in Vizag, would have loved to do an encore but the spinners Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin weren’t making life easy with lunch approaching.
At the other end Du Plessis was slowly chipping away at the lead, almost fighting a lone battle.
De Kock put on a 75-run sixth wicket stand with the captain as they steadied the ship, somewhat, before Ashwin tossed it up and invited the batsman to come onto the front foot, only to cut him in half and knock over the stumps to dismiss him for 31 off 48 deliveries before lunch.
Du Plessis with Senuran Muthusamy (7) in tow restarted post lunch, but the spinner could not stick around for too long as he did not offer a shot to Jadeja, and Nigel Llong after a little thought put up his finger.