South African cricketer Ryan Rickelton took a sharp catch to dismiss Team India batter Sai Sudharsan on Day 3 (Monday, November 24) of the second Test at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. Rickelton nearly dropped the catch before managing to take it on the second attempt to remove the left-handed batter.
Team India started the second day’s play at 9/0, with openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul at the crease. Rahul was dismissed by left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj after scoring 22 runs off 63 balls. Sudharsan, who was dropped from the playing XI for the first Test in Kolkata, returned to bat at No. 3 in the morning session.
Watch: Ryan Rickelton Takes Sharp Catch to Dismiss Sai Sudharsan
India were in a spot of trouble when Sai Sudharsan was dismissed for 15. Ryan Rickelton took a sharp catch at mid-wicket. Sudharsan pulled a short ball from Simon Harmer, but it went straight toward the fielder.
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Rickelton dived to his left and initially juggled the ball, which popped out of his hands. However, he managed to recover quickly and held on to it on the second attempt, pulling the ball safely into his chest.
The umpires checked with the TV official to confirm whether the catch had been completed cleanly. Replays showed the ball never touched the ground and was firmly in Rickelton’s grasp when he finished the dive. The wicket left the hosts in a tricky position late in the morning session.
— crictalk (@crictalk7) November 24, 2025
Team India in Trouble After Losing Four Wickets in the First Session on Day 3
The South Africa spinners took control on Day 3, putting India under pressure. Keshav Maharaj opened the floodgates by removing KL Rahul. Simon Harmer dismantled the top order further, removing Yashasvi Jaiswal (58) and Sai Sudharsan (15).
Just before the players walked off for tea, Marco Jansen added to India’s troubles by dismissing Dhruv Jurel for a duck. At the time of writing, India were at 102 for 4 at the tea break, with Rishabh Pant (6) and Ravindra Jadeja (0) at the crease.
Earlier in the match, Senuran Muthusamy scored 109 off 206 balls, while Marco Jansen smashed 93 from 91 balls. Kyle Verreynne (45) also played a key part as the Proteas surged from 246/6 to a massive total of 489 in their first innings.
Sai Sudharsan Needs to Make Runs against Better Sides – Murali Kartik
Former India cricketer Murali Kartik said that Sai Sudharsan, who regained his No. 3 spot, also needs to score runs against stronger opponents to cement his place. He noted that India were forced into an unsettled batting setup because Shubman Gill was unavailable.
“It’s been a hard day for them and just looking at the playing XI too, how do you go about it? Yashasvi Jaiswal has a great Test record but not against South Africa. So is there a bit of a hangover walking in, where you think runs but also the opposition?”
“Sai Sudharsan is back and he also needs to make runs against better sides because he lost his spot at No. 3. You’ve got Jurel pumped up the order because of no Shubman Gill,” Karthik said.
Also read: Gautam Gambhir creates major insecurity for Rohit Sharma, South Africa ODIs unconfirmed
