Jansen rattles India top order after Bavuma fifty in chase of 124

Temba Bavuma's plucky 55 not out brought South Africa back in the game on an uneven pitch alive before left-arm quick Marco Jansen reduced India to 10 for two at lunch on day three, leaving the opening Test on a knife's edge here on Sunday.

Set a tricky 124 on a crumbling Eden Gardens surface after South Africa were bowled out for 153 in their second innings. India were effectively three down at the break with injured skipper Shubman Gill ruled out of the match due to neck spasm and still needing 114 more.

The 2.06m tall Jansen (4-2-8-2) made full use of his height and the juice on offer from the High Court End, removing both openers in successive overs.

In-form Dhruv Jurel batting at No 4 in absence of Gill showed his form with a leg glance boundary to get off the mark as he remained unbeaten on 4 off 12 balls, while India's experimental No. 3 Washington Sundar was on 5 from 20 balls, surviving some anxious moments.

On a pitch where Bavuma showed with his rock-solid batting template, the Indian openers fell short.

The explosive Yashasvi Jaiswal, tentative and late on the stroke, fell for a four-ball duck as a steep good-length ball kissed his outside edge to Kyle Verreynne.

In his next over, Jansen went around the wicket and got the big scalp of KL Rahul for 1, rushing him with lift from a back-of-length ball that ballooned off the glove.

Earlier, resuming at 93 for seven with an overall lead of 63, South Africa stretched the advantage past 100 thanks to Bavuma's assured effrt and No 9 Corbin Bosch's brisk 25 off 37 balls.

Their 44-run eighth-wicket stand frustrated India in the opening hour, scoring at more than three runs an over.

Stand-in captain Rishabh Pant's decision to not use Jasprit Bumrah from the more threatening Club House End, from where he got the first innings fifer, seemed baffling.

Bumrah however still struck from the other end breaking through after 44 minutes of resistance.

Bavuma, playing his first Test since leading them to historic WTC triumph at Lord's, was immovable through the morning and brought up the first fifty of the match with a fine-leg boundary off Bumrah.

He survived an lbw scare on 54 when Siraj's appeal was overturned with the ball missing leg stump.

Siraj, however, struck twice in the same over, bowling Simon Harmer after the batter shouldered arms to see his off stump rattled, and then trapped Keshav Maharaj plumb in front with a pinpoint yorker.

Ravindra Jadeja finished with 4/50 from his 20 overs, while Kuldeep Yadav and (2/30) and Mohammed Siraj (2/2) took two each.

Axar Patel (1/24) and Bumrah (1/36) were also among wickets while Sundar was not bowled.