Jasprit Bumrah delivered a stunning five-wicket haul to put India in control of the first Test against South Africa at Eden Gardens.
India bowled out South Africa for 159 in 55 overs. Bumrah led the attack with his 16th Test fifer, while Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj claimed two wickets each. The packed crowd witnessed a masterclass in seam bowling as Bumrah dismantled the Proteas batting order.
South Africa began aggressively after winning the toss. Openers Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton attacked Mohammed Siraj and Axar Patel, racing to 57 in the first 10 overs. Bumrah tightened the pressure, conceding only nine runs in his first five overs. He then removed Rickelton with an away swinger and dismissed Markram with a sharp delivery that lifted off length.
Kuldeep Yadav struck next, trapping skipper Temba Bavuma and later removing Wiaan Mulder with a clever leg break. Tony de Zorzi resisted briefly but fell to Bumrah. Siraj found rhythm in his third spell, producing in-duckers to dismiss Kyle Verreynne and Marco Jansen. Bumrah returned to finish the innings, removing Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj.
India lost Yashasvi Jaiswal early in reply, bowled by Marco Jansen. KL Rahul and Washington Sundar steadied the innings, guiding India to 37 for one at stumps.
Team selections added intrigue. South Africa missed Kagiso Rabada due to injury and played only two spinners. India chose four spinners, including Axar Patel, dropping Sai Sudharsan. This marked the first time since 2012 that India fielded four tweakers in a Test.
India ended Day 1 with momentum, driven by Bumrah’s brilliance and disciplined support from Kuldeep and Siraj.
