Mohammed Siraj’s frustration boiled over during a tense third day in Guwahati, and KL Rahul’s light-hearted reaction became one of the most replayed moments of the Test. The moment came early in South Africa’s second innings when Siraj, fielding in the deep, launched a wild return past Rishabh Pant. Pant failed to collect it, forcing Rahul to react instantly and prevent the runaways. Rahul turned to Siraj with a pointed gesture, urging him to settle down. The leader admitted as much, but the exchange captured India’s mounting pressure as they struggled to find a breakthrough.
Rahul made several gestures with his hands to keep things calm and that there was no need to ‘rush’. Siraj was seen reacting with a wide smile on his face.Watch the moment here India had already endured a punishing day dominated by Marco Jansen, whose 6/48 bundled out the hosts for 201. Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav’s 72 runs for the eighth wicket delayed the inevitable but could not undo the damage. South Africa, who held a lead of 288 points, declined the follow-up and finished at 26/0, extending their advantage to 314 with two days remaining.
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For Indian fans, the only respite came from Siraj himself – and this time for a harmless spider-cam “prank”. Between overs, the pacer placed his cap on the hovering Spidercam, eliciting laughter as the cap covered the lens and the operator pushed the camera down in a silent call to remove it. Siraj obliged with a ball later, giving the crowd a brief reason to smile on an otherwise sobering day.
