The South African batters’ dread of playing Ravindra Jadeja on an Eden Gardens pitch in Kolkata, degrading between deliveries, became a reality, as India neared victory at the conclusion of the second day of the first Test.
Jadeja’s 4/27 in 13 overs at stumps left South Africa in ruins at 93/7 with a 63-run lead overall. Although captain Temba Bavuma (29 batting off 78 balls) was fighting a lone struggle, South Africa will need at least 125 runs, which currently seems unlikely, to even fight on the third day, which will undoubtedly be the last of this game.
The very talkative and humorous stand-in captain, Rishabh Pant, who had been instructing Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav up until that point, was heard on the stump microphone saying, “Jaddu bhai, aap dekh lena,” after Jadeja entered the attack. This was a clear indication that the master craftsman didn’t need to be told what needed to be done.
Jadeja was always going to be a resident threat on a deteriorating pitch with his flawless length and ability to attack the stumps, letting the surface take care of the rest, even if Simon Harmer’s traditional off-spin had dragged South Africa back into the match earlier in the day.
Left-arm Chinaman Jadeja received the ideal support from Kuldeep Yadav’s 2/12 and Axar Patel’s 1/30, while Washington Sundar, India’s fourth spinner, has bowled just one over in the 90 that the hosts have bowled over the course of two innings.
In a thrilling conclusion to a day that saw 15 wickets fall (not counting Shubman Gill’s retired injury), Jadeja’s unwavering precision on a two-paced, dust-spewing surface turned the tide of the match in India’s favor while bowling continuously for 13 overs from the dreaded Club House End.
Jadeja struck nearly instantly after being introduced in the ninth over of the innings, which was the second over after tea.
Aiden Markram’s outside edge was cut off by his first ball, which twisted sharply past it. The next ball overpitched on middle, turned away, and Markram’s attempted sweep ballooned off a thick top-edge to Dhruv Jurel at short leg.
Within minutes of wiping the deficit, South Africa lost both openers after Kuldeep Yadav removed Ryan Rickelton (11) with a googly in the previous over.
After Gill’s neck spasm, stand-in captain Rishabh Pant took over and supported Jadeja continuously from the more dangerous end. The decision was quite profitable.
Two balls later, Tony de Zorzi (2) was done in by a slight spin that touched the glove, clipped pad, and looped to short leg after Wiaan Mulder (11) feathered a beauty that caressed the outside edge.
Jadeja hit middle to take his fourth and 250th Test wicket in India, behind only Kumble, Harbhajan, and Ashwin. Tristan Stubbs (5) missed the line and length completely and was beaten on the inside.
The final known batsman for South Africa, Kyle Verreynne, was then dismissed by Axar Patel from the High Court End after the wicketkeeper-batter misfired a slog-sweep after surviving 15 balls.
Jadeja was just the fourth cricketer to reach the double of 4000 Test runs and 300 wickets, joining the rare group of lan Botham, Kapil Dev, and Daniel Vettori. Earlier in the day, Jadeja had made a vital 27 with the bat.
By the second hour of the morning session, what had started out on Friday as a rather dry surface had changed into what looked like a fourth-day subcontinental wicket.
The conditions were described as “ordinary” by former India coach Ravi Shastri and “awful” by former England captain Michael Vaughan. Cracks widened, plumes of dust flew on good-length balls, and bounce became frighteningly erratic.
It’s still unclear if controversial Eden Gardens curator Sujan Mukherjee supplied a subpar test track like this voluntarily or under pressure from a senior support staff member.
In the opening hour, Washington Sundar (29 off 82) and KL Rahul (39 off 119) seemed determined, extending their compact combination to 57 and heightening expectations of a potential Indian charge.
However, Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer’s persistent pressure after drinks completely changed the course of events.
After Harmer dismissed Washington with a traditional off-spinner to open the gates, Gill was forced to retire hurt due to a neck spasm caused by a slog sweep.
Rahul was then dismissed by Maharaj, but when the ball spun and remained low, his attempt to accelerate ended in a low catch at slip.
Just before lunch, Corbin Bosch dismissed Rishabh Pant with a stinging bouncer after he launched a quick counterattack with his signature bravado, smacking Maharaj for two sixes and unfurling a reverse sweep.
After that, India never fully recovered. Marco Jansen (3/35) utilized sharp bounce to clean out the lower order as India crumpled for 189, a narrow 30-run lead, while Harmer finished with 4/30 from 14.2 overs, mercilessly testing India’s six left-handers.
At tea, India finally broke the opening stand, with Kuldeep dismissing South Africa’s Ryan Rickelton — a breakthrough that marked the 20th wicket to fall within just five sessions of the first Test.
The last two days might not be necessary on a pitch where making strokes has been nearly impossible and surviving itself is difficult.
Even a chase of 120–150 might prove challenging because India’s spinners have already demonstrated sufficient control and menace.
The series opener could be decided in Sunday’s opening session as the match is headed toward a third-day conclusion.
