The second Test between India and South Africa in Guwahati turned spicy on Day 2 as Senuran Muthusamy played a sparkling patient innings, hitting his fifty off 121 balls. Along with Kyle Verreynne, who is closing in on his half-century, Muthusamy is putting huge pressure on India’s bowlers in a gripping post-Tea session. The visitors reached an impressive 316/6 after 111 overs at Tea, keeping the momentum alive. Early on, the duo batted cautiously, punishing only loose balls while carefully navigating the Indian bowling attack. India struggled to find answers as the partnership steadily grew, with no wickets falling in the first session. The pitch in Guwahati is good to bat on but has started to offer some turn, making spin bowlers important as the day progressed. On Day 1, India’s spinners had shone brightly, taking 6 wickets and putting South Africa’s top order on the back foot. But Muthusamy and Verreynne eased into their innings following Temba Bavuma’s patient approach from the first Test. Muthusamy celebrated his half-century with some classy shots, including a nice sweep off Kuldeep Yadav. Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah opened the bowling for India and kept things tight, but the South African batsmen were calm and steady. Bumrah’s disciplined bowling saw only a handful of scoring shots as he bowled several maiden overs. However, the lack of breakthroughs was frustrating for India, who lost their second review while trying to catch Verreynne out. Notably, Muthusamy reminisced about his Test debut in Vizag six years ago when he dismissed Indian great Virat Kohli, saying, "I feel like I'm a far better cricketer, all-around cricketer, now than I was in 2019. I've learnt a lot and grown quite a bit." South Africa's batting lineup showed grit with Temba Bavuma and others contributing well on Day 1, but it was the partnership between Muthusamy and Verreynne that took charge on Day 2. Indian batsmen KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal will need to respond strongly as India aim to balance the match after losing the first Test of the series. With the match finely poised, all eyes are on the Indian bowlers to find their breakthrough and turn the tide. Until then, the Muthusamy-Verreynne alliance keeps India on the edge in this fascinating Test clash at Guwahati.