Mumbai: Following the first session of Day 2 of the ICC World Test Championship Final 2025 between Australia and South Africa, JioStar experts shared their insights on key performances and turning points:
JioStar expert Sanjay Bangar assessed the first session of Day 2:
“Without a doubt, this was South Africa’s session. I’m delighted with the kind of fight they put up. It was encouraging to see the way Temba Bavuma showed character—he came under a lot of criticism for his approach last evening, but in this session, he was very assertive, and that was great to see. As a leader, this kind of innings earns you respect within the dressing room. The positivity and intent shown by the South African batters have instilled great belief in the team. The dressing room will be pleased that they came out and won that session. So far, four sessions have been played—two won by Australia and two by South Africa. That’s how close this game is.”
On Bavuma’s leadership and its impact, Sanjay Bangar added:
“Actions speak louder than words—and Bavuma certainly led by example today. You could clearly see there was a shift in mindset—he came out looking to score. There’s a big difference between looking to defend and then reacting versus looking to score and adjusting if needed. I’m sure there were a lot of discussions this morning in the South African dressing room about how to approach the day—and they executed that plan brilliantly.”
JioStar expert Matthew Hayden also shared his assessment of the session:
“The first session was very much in the balance—just one wicket down for South Africa. You could see a bit more batting intent, which I’m sure the South African batters were aiming for after yesterday’s collapse against a world-class fast bowling attack like Australia’s. That said, this isn’t a great batting wicket—it’s dry and starting to turn, which is making things more difficult for the batters. There are also some overhead conditions now coming into play. If South Africa had collapsed again like they did in the evening session yesterday, the match would have swung firmly in Australia’s favour. But they held their own. Australia, on the other hand, is still in a holding pattern, trying to knock over the remaining five wickets—some of whom are bowlers, so South Africa doesn’t have too much batting left. It’s still very much in the balance.”
