IND vs SA 1st Test Day 1 Highlights: Bumrah’s Five-Wicket Masterclass Floors South Africa for 159 at Eden Gardens. India took control of the first Test against South Africa on the first day of play in Kolkata by bowling the visitors out for 159 after Temba Bavuma won the toss and chose to bat first at Eden Gardens.
Jasprit Bumrah produced an outstanding spell of bowling, taking 5 for 38, as he added to his already impressive record of match-winning performances. South Africa started confidently, at 57/0, before he entered the attack and changed the momentum, with all ten wickets falling for just 102 runs.
Thrilling bowling display from India
He struck first to remove the two openers before he returned to run through the middle order, supported ably by Mohammed Siraj and Ravindra Jadeja with excellent tight spells of bowling, leaving South Africa with no opportunity to take back the match after the batting collapse. The surface, which had been expected to offer assistance for the batters, proved beneficial for the Indian bowlers once the uneven bounce and early reverse swing came into play.
As a response, India played conservatively and scored 37 for 1 at stumps. After the early loss of the wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal for 6, KL Rahul and Washington Sundar took on the South African bowlers without further damage at the end of day one. India ended up 122 runs behind with 9 wickets in hand, and they find themselves strong favourites for Day 2.
Rishabh Pant made an impressive return to Test cricket with quick glovework, executing both neat takes and sharp reflex dismissals. Stand-in captain Shubman Gill, captaining India for the first time on this ground, took charge of his bowlers and kept attacking fields throughout South Africa’s collapse.
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Off-field drama: stump-mic controversy
The day was marred with some controversy after the stump mic appeared to pick up Bavuma’s height being mentioned during a DRS, sparking speculation on social forums. There hasn’t been an official statement from the Indian camp yet; however, it is likely to be looked at by the match officials.