Bumrah shines as India takes Day 1 lead

Bumrah shines as India takes Day 1 lead

1st Test India vs South Africa: South Africa is 105-3 at lunch on the 1st day of the 1st cricket test against India. Jasprit Bumrah took three wickets with unplayable deliveries.

South Africa won the toss and chose to bat first on a decent pitch at Eden Gardens. They got off to a flying start, reaching 57 runs without losing a wicket in just 10 overs. But India didn’t panic. Jasprit Bumrah, bowling tight lines from one end, gave away only 9 runs in his first five overs and then produced two magical deliveries. He bowled Ryan Rickelton with a ball that swung in and then moved away, and dismissed Aiden Markram with one that bounced sharply off the pitch. Suddenly, South Africa were 62 for 2, and the momentum had shifted.

India had gone in with six bowlers, moving Washington Sundar up to No. 3 to make space for Axar Patel. Early on, Siraj struggled with rhythm and Axar was expensive, but Bumrah’s control kept things steady. Kuldeep Yadav joined the party with some sharp turn and clever field placements. He got Temba Bavuma out with an edge to Dhruv Jurel, who kept his place in the team despite Rishabh Pant returning as wicketkeeper.

After lunch, South Africa’s middle order collapsed. Tony de Zorzi and Wiaan Mulder were dismissed quickly by Bumrah and Kuldeep. Mulder, who had reverse-swept Kuldeep for a boundary, tried the same shot again and was trapped lbw. De Zorzi was bowled by a ball that nipped in. With the ball starting to reverse, Siraj took over and got two wickets in one over—Kyle Verreynne lbw and Marco Jansen bowled.

Axar Patel returned for a second spell and found some turn. His low release and long arms created a tricky angle, and he trapped Corbin Bosch lbw just before tea. South Africa were in deep trouble, and their last hope, Tristan Stubbs, didn’t protect the tail. Bumrah came back and dismissed both Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj in one over, completing his five-wicket haul and joining BS Chandrasekhar in India’s top five for most five-fors. South Africa were bowled out for just 159.

India’s reply wasn’t easy either. Without Kagiso Rabada, who missed the match due to a rib injury, South Africa lacked bite. But Marco Jansen bowled well and got Yashasvi Jaiswal out with a sharp delivery. KL Rahul and Washington Sundar played cautiously in fading light. Maharaj and Harmer bowled tight spells, and a few puffs of dust from the pitch hinted that Bumrah’s five-for might be even more valuable as the match goes on.