Kolkata: An early finish looks imminent after an astonishing 17 wickets tumbled on Day 2 of the first Test, with the Eden Gardens pitch continuing to quiz batters from both teams and offering no easy answers in return.
By the end of a frenetic Saturday in which the game moved at breakneck speed, India seized firm control. After scraping together a narrow 30-run first-innings lead — managing 189 all out in response to South Africa’s 159 — the hosts’ bowlers tore through visiting top order to leave reeling at 97/7, a slim lead of just 63 heading into Day 3.
India also suffered a big blow when skipper Shubman Gill, who woke up with neck a spasm, walked off the field getting a whiplash following a slog-swept four. His deputy Rishabh Pant led in his absence.
At the centre of India’s dominance was Ravindra Jadeja (27, 4/29), turning in yet another match-defining all-round performance. After dragging India to a total that looked inadequate at first glance, the left-arm spinner made the most of the helpful surface, weaving his familiar magic with the ball.
Resuming at 37/1, India inched forward cautiously. KL Rahul (39) and Washington Sundar (29) battled hard for every run, their progress slowed by a pitch that kept spitting out surprises — sharp turn one ball, uneven bounce the next. Though both batters tried to break free with the occasional big hit, neither ever looked fully settled during their association of 57 runs. In the context of the match, though, it was a vital contribution.
To their credit, South Africa’s bowlers rose to the challenge of a surface that demanded precision over flair. No one embodied that discipline better than Simon Harmer (4/30). In an uninterrupted spell of 14.2-3-30-4 on the second day, the veteran off-spinner struck vital blows — Washington, Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel and Axar Patel — to ensure India didn’t run away with the game.
Despite losing Pant just minutes before lunch, they were placed relatively comfortable at 138/4 when the teams broke for lunch. The middle session, however, saw the Indian batting come unstuck as it lost five wickets for the addition of 51 runs with Harmer in the thick of things.
The unpredictable bounce and the inconsistent bounce never allowed the batters to feel “in” and that sort of left them confused about their approach — to attack or to grind? In the process some fell while playing safe and other when attacking.
Pacer Marco Jansen hastened the end with two wickets before Harmer provided the finishing touches with Axar’s dismissal.
While the tourists’ change-room would have been happy to restrict India’s lead to 30, their second innings performance would have turned the mood in the camp rather somber. Evidently, it wasn’t an easy wicket to survive but the Proteas’ batters showed little stomach for a fight, keeling over meekly with Jadeja at the forefront of their collapse.
Having taken a back seat on the opening day as Jasprit Bumrah stole the spotlight, even with conditions offering Jadeja plenty of turn and bounce, the 36-year-old came roaring into the contest, dictating the tempo and holding the center stage.
Jadeja isn’t a big turner of the ball, but his understanding of the conditions and what needs to be executed, make him so special in these pitches. After a rather delayed introduction into the attack, Jadeja, in an unbroken spell of 13-3-29-4, swung the match in India’s favour.
Even as skipper Temba Bavuma hung around with a battling 29, batters at other end deserted him in quick succession. They would be hoping to set up at least a 100-plus target to fancy their chances while India would want to wrap up the innings early in the morning and chase as small a target as possible on a deteriorating wicket, especially with doubts over Gill returning to bat.
SCORE BOARD
SOUTH AFRICA (I Innings): 159 all out
INDIA (I Innings; O/n: 37/1):
Jaiswal b Jansen 12
(27b, 35m, 3×4)
Rahul c Markram b Maharaj 39
(119b, 194m, 4×4, 1×6)
Washington c Markram b Harmer 29
(82b, 128m, 2×4, 1×6)
Gill (retd hurt) 4
(3b, 2m, 1×4)
Pant c Verreynne b Bosch 27
(24b, 42m, 2×4, 2×6)
Jadeja lbw Harmer 27
(45b, 65m, 3×4)
Jurel c & b Harmer 14
(14b, 20m, 3×4)
Axar c Jansen b Harmer 16
(45b, 68m, 2×4)
Kuldeep c Verreynne b Jansen 1
(8b, 6m)
Siraj b Jansen 1
(9b, 21m)
Bumrah (not out) 1
(3b, 11m)
Extras (B-9, LB-2, NB-5, W-2) 18
Total (all out, 62.2 overs) 189
Fall of wicket: 1-18 (Jaiswal), 2-75 (Washington), 3-109 (Rahul), 4-132 (Pant), 5-153 (Jurel), 6-171 (Jadeja), 7-172 (Kuldeep), 8-187 (Siraj).
Bowling: Jansen 15-4-35-3 (w-1, nb-3), Mulder 5-1-15-0 (nb-2), Maharaj 16-1-66-1, Bosch 11-4-32-1, Harmer 15.2-4-30-4.
SOUTH AFRICA (II Innings):
Rickelton lbw Kuldeep 11
(23b, 28m, 1×4)
Markram c Jurel b Jadeja 4
(23b, 33m)
Mulder c Rahul b Jadeja 11
(30b, 34m, 1×4)
Bavuma (batting) 29
(78b, 3×4)
de Zorzi c Jurel b Jadeja 2
(2b, 2m)
Stubbs b Jadeja 5
(18b, 26m)
Verreynne b Axar 9
(16b, 17m, 1×4)
Jansen c Rahul b Kuldeep 13
(16b, 1×6)
Bosch (batting) 1
(4b)
Extras (LB-8) 8
Total (for 7 wkts, 35 overs) 93
Fall of wickets: 1-18 (Rickelton), 2-25 (Markram), 3-38 (Mulder), 4-40 (de Zorzi), 5-60 (Stubbs), 6-75 (Verreynne), 7-97 (Jansen).
Bowling: Bumrah 6-1-14-0, Axar 11-0-30-1, Kuldeep 5-1-12-2, Jadeja 13-3-29-4.