IND vs SA: 'Test cricket has been made a joke', Captain Pant loses his temper several times on the field, is seen shouting at Kuldeep

On the second day of the second Test match between India and South Africa in Guwahati, Indian captain Rishabh Pant was seen lashing out at his teammate Kuldeep Yadav on the field. Kuldeep was reportedly taking his time to bowl an over, which was considered a violation of the ICC's stop-clock rule. The umpire even warned him. Pant lost his temper several times, reprimanding the players from behind the stumps.

India had already received their first warning for delaying an over on the first day, but when the team failed to meet the time limit again during the 88th over on the second day, umpire Richard Kettleborough issued a second warning. Pant lost his patience and was heard expressing his displeasure with his teammate.

His voice was clearly captured on the stump mic. Pant was heard saying, "Friend, there's a 30-second timer. Are you playing at home? Bowl one ball quickly." He then added in a more stern tone, "Hey Kuldeep, you took the warning both times. Are you making a joke of Test cricket?" This incident reminded the audience of the strict captaincy of former captain Rohit Sharma, who expected energy and discipline from his players.

What does the ICC stop-clock rule say?

The ICC recently implemented the stop-clock rule in Test cricket. Under this rule, "After the completion of an over, the next over must begin within 60 seconds." The team receives only two warnings. From the third time, the batting team receives a five-run bonus. This count resets after every 80 overs. This rule is already in place in the limited-overs format and was incorporated into Test cricket this year.

South Africa's Strong Hold

Amidst this tension over the over-rate, South Africa maintained the pressure on India. Senuran Muthusamy, first with Kyle Verreynne, and then with Marco Jansen, shared 88 runs and then 97 runs to change the course of the match. Muthusamy batted superbly to reach his maiden Test century, and Jansen made a quick start, hitting a pair of unseeded sixes to put the pressure on the Indian bowlers. South Africa made 489 all out.