Daijiworld Media Network - Kolkata
Kolkata, Nov 14: Jasprit Bumrah delivered a masterclass in fast bowling, ripping through South Africa’s batting lineup with sensational figures of 5 for 27 to bowl the visitors out for just 159 on the first day of the opening Test at Eden Gardens on Friday.
South Africa seemed poised for a strong total at 57/0 after choosing to bat on a pitch with inconsistent bounce. But their innings unraveled rapidly once Bumrah dismissed both openers in quick succession. From a solid start, the Proteas crashed, losing all 10 wickets for 102 runs as the Indian attack tightened its grip.
Bumrah’s fiery spell earned him his 16th five-wicket haul in Test cricket. Supporting him were Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav with two wickets each, while Axar Patel claimed one.
A crowd of nearly 35,000 roared as Bumrah unleashed a blistering two-over burst after tea. Their excitement peaked when he completed his five-for — helping South Africa slump to their second-lowest first-innings total against India, squandering the advantage of winning the toss.
The post-tea collapse began with a sharp inswinger that uprooted Simon Harmer’s off stump. Moments later, Keshav Maharaj fell to a deadly inswinging yorker for a duck. Tristan Stubbs, unbeaten on 15, could only watch as wickets tumbled around him.
Earlier, openers Ryan Rickelton and Aiden Markram displayed confidence, putting up South Africa’s first fifty-run opening stand in India after 17 innings. Rickelton stroked boundaries off Siraj, while Markram grew fluent, hitting crisp fours and even lofting Axar Patel for a six.
But Bumrah turned the tide with precision and variation — first cleaning up Rickelton with a length ball that beat the outside edge, then dismissing Markram with a rising delivery superbly caught by a diving Rishabh Pant.
Kuldeep Yadav added to the pressure by removing skipper Temba Bavuma via a clever leg-slip trap, reducing South Africa from 57/0 to 71/3. Wiaan Mulder and Tony de Zorzi resisted briefly until lunch, but India resumed with renewed accuracy afterward.
Mulder fell lbw to a failed reverse sweep off Kuldeep, while Bumrah trapped de Zorzi with another wicked inswinger. Siraj joined the carnage by taking two wickets in the same over — Kyle Verreynne was lbw to a nip-backer, and Marco Jansen was bowled through the gate for a three-ball duck.
Axar Patel chipped in just before tea, trapping Corbin Bosch with a straight delivery, leaving South Africa reeling.
Only five runs were added after the break before Bumrah struck twice more to finish the innings in style, capping a dominant day for India and delighting the Eden Gardens crowd.
Brief Scores:
South Africa 159 in 55 overs (Aiden Markram 31, Ryan Rickelton 23; Jasprit Bumrah 5-27, Kuldeep Yadav 2-36) vs India.