Guwahati, Nov 25: India found moments of success through Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, but South Africa continued to command proceedings on Day 4 of the second Test, courtesy of a brilliant 94 by Tristan Stubbs as the youngster’s knocked helped the team stretch their lead to over 500 runs and eventually declaring at 260/5 to set India a target of 549 runs.

The day began with the visitors resuming at 26/0, and openers Ryan Rickelton and Aiden Markram looking assured as they raised the score to 58 before India’s spinners made their impact. Rickelton, who benefited from early luck, was dismissed for 35 while attempting an aggressive shot, handing Jadeja his first breakthrough. The left-arm spinner struck again soon after, removing Markram for 29 with a sharp turn that troubled the batters throughout the morning.

Washington Sundar complemented Jadeja superbly, bowling a disciplined spell with subtle variations in pace that kept South Africa’s scoring in check. His persistence paid off when he removed captain Temba Bavuma, who flicked a simple catch to leg slip. Despite a few missed run-out opportunities, India looked energetic in the field and kept the visitors’ progress steady rather than free-flowing.

At 107/3 by tea, the session appeared evenly balanced as Tony de Zorzi and Tristan Stubbs steadied the innings, combining caution with calculated aggression. Both batters found regular boundaries and shifted momentum again in South Africa’s favour heading into the second session.

De Zorzi and Stubbs batted with purpose, sweeping, cutting, and rotating strike as if playing on a surface entirely different from the one tormenting India. Every boundary struck through the gaps felt like a reminder: South Africa were not just surviving, they were progressing. Zorzi’s sweeps scythed through the leg side with authority, while Stubbs absorbed pressure before unleashing strokes that drained India’s early energy.

After tea, Jadeja trapped de Zorzi lbw just shy of a half-century. Yet even that wicket felt like a pause rather than a shift. Stubbs marched on to his fifty, unhurried and unbothered, as Wiaan Mulder joined him to push the lead past 500 with quiet confidence.

With four sessions remaining in the match, the Proteas showed no inclination to declare early, adding 113 runs in the second session for the loss of just one wicket. India even turned to part-timer Yashasvi Jaiswal for an over, but South Africa’s control remained unchallenged.

At lunch, South Africa had moved to 220/4 in 70 overs, firmly on top as India faced a huge scare.

As Stubbs approached a century, the Proteas continued their batting innings after lunch, despite many expecting a declaration. The young player entered the nervous nineties, and South Africa watched to see if he could reach 100 before the declaration. However, as soon as he was dismissed, Bavuma indicated the batters to come back in, thereby closing their innings at 260/5 and setting the hosts a massive 549-run target.

While a win looks difficult here, Team India will look to bat throughout the remainder of Day 4 and on Wednesday, the final day of the game, to draw the match. South Africa, meanwhile, will aim to bowl out the hosts again to add a historic victory under their belt, while also gaining some crucial World Test Championship points.

Brief Scores: South Africa 489 and 260/5d in 78.3 overs (Tristan Stubbs 94, Tony de Zorzi 49; Ravindra Jadeja 4/62) lead India 201 all out in 83.5 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 58, Washington Sundar 48; Marco Jansen 6-48, Simon Harmer 3-64) by 548 runs.

New Delhi, Nov 25: India is entering a multi-year infra super-cycle, with the Nifty Infrastructure index delivering 2 times returns of the Nifty 50 over the past three years, a report said on Tuesday.

India’s infrastructure equities have evolved from defensive to high‑beta, high‑alpha and could nearly double in market size by 2030 to around Rs 25 lakh crore, the report from Smallcase said.

Analysts said that the growth is driven government spending and private capex revival — helped by PLI schemes, global supply-chain shifts, and manufacturing incentives.

Smallcase estimated that Rs 1 of infrastructure capex delivers roughly Rs 2.5 — Rs 3 of GDP impact.

Markets are likely to maintain a high beta to infrastructure execution; earnings visibility across engineering, construction, industrials, cement, power equipment and logistics remain robust, the report noted.

InvITs growth will be underpinned by predictable, contract-based revenue streams offering pre‑tax yields of about 10–12 per cent and post‑tax returns near 7–9 per cent generally higher than many conventional fixed-income instruments.

The Nifty Infrastructure Index returned 14.5 per cent, 82.8 per cent and 181.2 per cent over the past 1, 3 and 5 years, outperforming the Nifty 50’s 10.5 per cent, 41.5 per cent and 100.3 per cent, the report said.

“Though Infrastructure investment in India Although these assets can experience temporary fluctuations during periods of market uncertainty, their historical volatility of about 10.2 per cent is well below the equity market’s 15.4 per cent, resulting in comparatively steadier performance,” said Abhishek Banerjee, Investment manager on smallcase, and founder of LotusDew.

With a correlation of only 0.42 to equities, infrastructure platforms tend to behave similarly to utilities, producing consistent, inflation-linked income that is largely unaffected by economic swings, he added.

Ayodhya, Nov 25: After leading the ‘Dhwajarohan Utsav’ by hoisting the sacred flag atop the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the day marks the end of centuries of pain and struggle.

PM Modi and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat led the ‘Dhwajarohan Utsav’ at the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple by hoisting the specially-designed sacred saffron flag atop the temple.

Addressing the large gathering from the Ram Janmabhoomi temple premises, PM Modi said, “Today, the city of Ayodhya is witnessing another turning point in India’s cultural consciousness. Today, the entire country, the entire world is filled with devotion for Lord Ram.”

The ceremony holds deep cultural and spiritual meaning for devotees across the country.

“Every Ram devotee’s heart is filled with immense satisfaction, gratitude and happiness. ‘Sadiyo ke ghav bhar rahe hain (centuries old wounds are healing today)’. The pain of centuries is coming to an end today, and the resolve of centuries is achieving success today. Today is the ‘poornahuti’ (final offering)’ of that ‘yagna’ whose fire burned for 500 years. The yagya that never wavered in faith, not even for a moment,” he added.

The flag, specially crafted for the Ram Temple, measures 22 feet in length and 11 feet in width. Designed by a parachute specialist from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, the flag weighs between 2 and 3 kilograms and has been designed to withstand winds at high altitudes.

The flag carries the Sun symbol, representing Lord Rama’s Suryavanshi heritage and divine radiance. The flag is adorned with an image of the Kovidara tree, Sun and Om. It is saffron in colour — symbolising fire, the rising Sun, sacrifice and dedication.

Speaking about the sacred flag, PM Modi said, “This Dharma Dhwaj is not just a flag, it is the symbol of the renaissance of Indian civilisation. The flag’s saffron colour, the symbol of the Sun, the holy word ‘Om’ and the Kovidar tree represent the glory of Ramrajya. This ‘Dhwaj’ is a resolution, a success, a tale of creation from struggle, a representation of a dream come true, an evidence of saints’ devotion and social participation.”

“This Dharm Dhwaj will become an inspiration of ‘Pran jaaye par vachan na jaaye’ (We will give our life to keep a promise). This will give a message that ‘Karma’ and ‘Kartavya’ should be given priority in the world. This will also make us resolve to maintain peace and prosperity in society, where no one is poor and suffering,” he added.

The event marks the completion of the temple construction.