India closed in on a commanding victory after a chaotic second day at Eden Gardens, reducing South Africa to 93 for 7 in their second innings, with just a 63-run lead. On a pitch that deteriorated rapidly, 15 wickets tumbled in less than six hours as batters from both sides struggled to cope with sharp turn, variable bounce and crumbling surface conditions.
Ravindra Jadeja was the decisive force, collecting an unbroken spell of 4 for 29 that dismantled South Africa’s middle and lower order. His accuracy, pace through the air and subtle variations made scoring nearly impossible, even for set batters. Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel also contributed crucial breakthroughs, working in tandem with the increasingly unpredictable surface.
Earlier in the day, India briefly looked primed for a first-innings lead as KL Rahul, Washington Sundar and Jadeja all made promising starts. But Simon Harmer’s superb 4 for 30 and Marco Jansen’s 3 for 35 pulled South Africa back into the contest, restricting India to 189 – just 30 ahead of the visitors’ first-innings 159.
With the pitch deteriorating further, India’s bowlers pounced immediately in the second innings. Jadeja removed Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Wiaan Mulder and Tristan Stubbs in a masterful spell, while Kuldeep’s late-session strike set the slide in motion. Only Temba Bavuma, unbeaten on 29, held firm as partners fell around him.
With three days still left and the pitch deteriorating rapidly, South Africa face a massive battle just to set a competitive target and stay alive in the Test.
