Jadeja joins Ashwin in elite list after striking thrice on Day 4 of second India-South Africa Test in Guwahati

Ravindra Jadeja struck twice during the morning session on Day 4 of the second Test against India in Guwahati, removing South African openers Ryan Rickelton and Aiden Markram. Rickelton was the first to perish, getting caught by Mohammed Siraj at cover after getting a leading edge off an attempting slog, resulting in the 59-run opening partnership coming to an end.

LIVE | India vs South Africa, 2nd Test in Guwahati, Day 4

Markram was later undone by a beauty from the veteran spinner, with the ball gripping and turning from the middle stump, beating the right-handed batter’s outside edge and clipping the top of off.

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Jadeja becomes only fifth Indian to collect 50-plus Test wickets vs SA

With his twin-strike on Tuesday morning, Jadeja joined an elite list of bowlers with 50 or more Test wickets against South Africa, becoming only the fifth Indian to achieve the feat after Anil Kumble (84), Javagal Srinath (64), Harbhajan Singh (60) and Ravichandran Ashwin (57). Jadeja, however, has a better average that the other icons mentioned in this list, being the only one with an average under 20.

Jadeja also happens to be only the second left-arm spinner to achieve the feat against South Africa the former English spinner Colin Blythe, who had collected 59 wickets in 10 Tests against the Proteas between 1906 and 1910.

Jadeja would help himself to another wicket later in the day, denying Tony de Zorzi his first half-century of the current tour by a whisker to break his fourth-wicket partnership with Tristan Stubbs.

Earlier in the day, Rickelton and Markram had become only the fourth South African opening pair and the first since Graeme Smith and Neil McKenzie in 2008 to stitch a fifty-plus stand in both innings of a Test in India.

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South Africa currently are in pole position to collect a resounding victory in the second Test against India in Guwahati, making them favourites to collect a Test series victory on Indian soil for only the second time ever, and for the first time since Hansie Cronje’s men completed a 2-0 sweep in 2000. The Proteas had won the tour opener at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens by 30 runs.