Kolkata, Nov 15 (NationPress) Kuldeep Yadav made an impactful entry by dismissing Ryan Rickelton early in South Africa's innings, leaving them at 18/1 in 6.4 overs as they trail India by 12 runs at tea on Day 2 of the first Test held at the Eden Gardens on Saturday. Previously, India was bowled out for 189 in their first innings, maintaining a narrow 30-run lead over South Africa.

The second innings for South Africa started with intensity as Jasprit Bumrah applied pressure on Rickelton with his pace and bounce, even managing to hit him a couple of times. Despite this, Rickelton found a way to score a couple of boundaries. Axar Patel, taking the new ball ahead of Mohammed Siraj, bowled accurately to keep both Rickelton and Aiden Markram under control.

The decisive moment came just before tea when Kuldeep’s fuller delivery trapped Rickelton lbw for 11. With Markram still not out on three and Wiaan Mulder set to join him post-tea, the match remains finely balanced, with both teams eager to gain the upper hand in the concluding phase of Day 2.

In the earlier innings, similar to South Africa's initial batting on day one, India's performance was marred by minimal contributions and a lack of robust partnerships, with the most fruitful collaboration being the 57-run partnership between KL Rahul and Washington Sundar.

Rahul was the only Indian player to exceed 30 runs, as the batting lineup crumbled quickly—after reaching 153/4, India lost their last five wickets for a mere 36 runs, concluding their innings at 189 in 62.2 overs.

For South Africa, off-spinner Simon Harmer effectively utilized spin and varied his pace on a challenging pitch to achieve impressive figures of 4-30, while left-arm pacer Marco Jansen took 3-35.

The second session saw Dhruv Jurel exhibit excellent timing with boundaries off Corbin Bosch, and Ravindra Jadeja also contributed with a beautiful drive through cover.

However, Harmer struck again with a tossed-up delivery, capturing Jurel's leading edge for a straightforward caught and bowled. Following India's lead, Harmer then trapped Jadeja lbw with a sharp delivery, which also resulted in a wasted review. Kuldeep followed up by nicking a leg-side delivery to keeper Kyle Verreynne off Jansen, who later disrupted Siraj's stumps.

Harmer completed his four-wicket haul by having Axar caught at backward point, and with Shubman Gill sidelined due to a neck spasm, India's innings concluded just short of 190. With India losing five wickets for only 51 runs in the post-lunch session, and Kuldeep striking just before tea, the game is set for an electrifying finish.

Brief Scores: South Africa 159 and 18/1 in 6.4 overs (Ryan Rickelton 11; Kuldeep Yadav 1-2) trail India 189 in 62.2 overs (KL Rahul 39, Washington Sundar 29; Simon Harmer 4-30, Marco Jansen 3-35) by 12 runs.