Kolkata: Jasprit Bumrah delivered a masterclass with two unplayable strikes to remove both openers, while Kuldeep Yadav added the key wicket of captain Temba Bavuma as India took firm control of the opening session, reducing South Africa to 105/3 in 27 overs at lunch on day one of the first Test on Friday.
South Africa, who opted to bat and included extra all-rounder Wiaan Mulder, dominated the first 50 minutes by cruising to 57 without loss in 10 overs. But Bumrah (2/9 in 7 overs) flipped the momentum dramatically with two wickets in five balls across successive overs.
Aiden Markram, after 23 dots, opened up with crisp drives and later punished Axar Patel with a late cut and a flicked six, pushing the scoring rate above five an over. Ryan Rickelton’s streaky 22 off 23 balls only deepened India’s early frustration.
Then came Bumrah’s breakthrough. From around the wicket, he delivered a 140 kph length ball that straightened sharply to beat Rickelton’s tentative push and uproot off stump, triggering a roar from the 30,000-plus Eden Gardens crowd. His next over produced an even sharper blow: a rising short-of-length delivery that forced Markram (31 off 48) to glove through to Dhruv Jurel, highlighting the pitch’s variable bounce.
Bumrah also troubled Bavuma in the same over before India introduced Kuldeep Yadav, who struck in his second over when Bavuma fell to a well-set leg-slip trap, Jurel completing another sharp take.
India used all four spinners before lunch, with Washington Sundar delivering the final over as the surface continued to produce inconsistent bounce. At the break, Mulder (22 off 43) and in-form Tony de Zorzi (15 off 38), both playing their first Tests in India, were holding fort.
Earlier, India made a bold selection call under Gautam Gambhir’s leadership, fielding four spinners for the first time since the 2012 Nagpur Test against England. Axar Patel returned in place of No. 3 Sai Sudharsan, who trained separately with physio Adrian Le Roux in the morning.
South Africa, meanwhile, went with just two spinners, leaving out Senuran Muthusamy – Player of the Series in their 1-1 draw in Pakistan. With Kagiso Rabada sidelined by a rib injury, Marco Jansen and Corbin Bosch formed their two-man pace attack.
