Kolkata, Nov 15 (IANS) India have put themselves in striking distance of taking the lead over South Africa in the first Test at Eden Gardens, despite losing wickets at regular intervals during the morning session on day two’s play.

The hosts added 101 runs in the morning session, but also lost three wickets while skipper Shubman Gill retired hurt with a neck spasm. The first hour yielded 38 runs without any loss of wickets, before the tempo picked up in the second hour with 63 runs scored, though it came at the loss of crucial wickets.

In the morning, KL Rahul and Washington Sundar did brilliantly to navigate and get runs in the face of tough batting conditions. While Rahul got going to get fours off Maharaj and Marco Jansen en route to be the 18th Indian batter to amass 4000 Test runs, Sundar looked assured in clipping Jansen for four, before sweeping and lofting Maharaj for four and six respectively.

South Africa’s plan to bring in Harmer worked when he got a sharp turn to square up Sundar and the outside edge was caught by first slip. Gill looked elegant in sweeping Harmer for four before retiring hurt immediately due to a freak neck spasm. Despite that, Rahul took up an aggressive route by dancing down the pitch to whip Maharaj for six.

Rishabh Pant, playing in international cricket for the first time after recovering from the fractured right foot sustained in July, was dropped by Aiden Markram at slip and got a boundary off Harmer. On the very next ball, Pant launched Maharaj over long-off for six.

Though Maharaj had Rahul caught at first slip for 39, Pant dispatched him over long-on for another six and went past Virender Sehwag to hold the record for most sixes by an Indian batter in Tests. But a few minutes before lunch break, Pant attempted to pull off Corbin Bosch’s rising delivery and the top-edge was caught by the keeper. Though Jurel and Jadeja saw off the rest of the deliveries, the absorbing first session has set the pace for more frenzy in the second session.

Brief Scores: South Africa 159 (Aiden Markram 31; Jasprit Bumrah 5-27) lead India 138/4 in 45 overs (KL Rahul 39, Washington Sundar 29; Corbin Bosch 1-6, Simon Harmer 1-22) by 21 runs.

–IANS

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