Guwahati, Nov 25 (NationPress) South Africa's shining star Tristan Stubbs shared insights on his pivotal innings after narrowly missing a century on Day 4 of the second Test at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium. The emerging batsman, who led the scoring with a steady 94, expressed that he felt "a little bit" disheartened about not reaching the three-figure milestone, yet was pleased with the team's strong position.

With South Africa in a dominant position, many expected an early declaration on the fourth day. Instead, the visitors opted to extend their innings past a 500-run lead to allow Stubbs a chance at his milestone. The 25-year-old appeared poised for a memorable century, but fell six runs short, prompting captain Temba Bavuma to declare the innings at 260/5, presenting India with a challenging target of 549 runs.

When questioned after the day’s play if the near-miss frustrated him, Stubbs replied, "Little bit, but they're two down now, so we'll take that."

In discussing the timing of the declaration, Stubbs clarified that it was influenced by conditions rather than the number of overs left. "(The declaration) wasn't an overs thing, it was more about the time. We had 40 minutes after lunch. Thought I'll give it (the hundred) a go and then when Jadeja came on, that was the last over, so I thought two hits is my best shot," he elaborated.

Reflecting on the sweep shot that led to his dismissal, Stubbs stated it was a justified choice on a pitch offering turn and variable bounce. "If you were just looking to defend, I thought you'd be a sitting duck. That (sweep) was more of a defensive shot to get off strike. Some of those shots - you had to play them. There's some nice footholes there. Harmy showed it - getting KL out. If we get the ball in the right areas, there's enough in this wicket," Stubbs noted.

As the match approaches its final day, India needs 522 runs to achieve an improbable victory, while South Africa seeks eight wickets to clinch a 2-0 series triumph.