IND vs SA 2025-26, 1st Test, Highlights: Bumrah’s sensational five-for dismantles South Africa; India reach 37-1 by stumps on Day 1.
Brief Scores: Ind 37/1 (KL Rahul 13*, Marco Jansen 1/11) trail SA 159 (Aiden Markram 31, Jasprit Bumrah 5/27, Kuldeep Yadav 2/36) by 122 runs at stumps on Day 1.
India prepared themselves for a robust challenge against South Africa in the two-match home Test series. The opening game took place at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The hosts were full of confidence post their 2-0 home series victory against West Indies, while the Proteas earned a 1-1 drawn series result in Pakistan.
There were a few dry patches on the opening day surface, with the groundsmen not watering it on the eve of the game. The spinners might not get enough turn on the first day, but the pacers would surely extract reverse swing.
South Africa’s captain, Temba Bavuma, won the toss and had no hesitation in batting first. They resisted the temptation of playing an extra spinner by leaving out Senuran Muthusamy. But the body blow for them was the absence of Kagiso Rabada from the eleven due to a rib injury.
Shubman Gill lost his seventh toss in eight Test matches, but their team’s combination became the talk of the town. Washington Sundar was slotted at number three with Axar Patel coming back in the eleven as the fourth spinner. Moreover, Rishabh Pant also returned to the side.
Read More: Why 2025 has been a year of redemption for KL Rahul in Tests: A numerical analysis
Talking point: Going with four spinners on pace-friendly deck a wise call?
India’s decision to go with four spinners was shocking. They brought Axar into the eleven and promoted Washington Sundar at number three. The Eden Gardens surface is helpful for the pacers which actually raised the eyebrows even more on the decision to slot the fourth spinner.
In these cases, one of the spinners anyways ends up being under bowled. And for this Kolkata clash, Sundar bowled only one out of 55 overs of the first innings.
India slice through South Africa’s top-order; visitors reach 105/3 at lunch
South Africa’s openers, Ryan Rickelton and Aiden Markram, went off to a flying start with a 57-run opening partnership. They managed 10 boundaries and one six in the first 10 overs as Mohammed Siraj struggled to find the right line and length. But Jasprit Bumrah finally drew the first blood by removing Rickelton. The good length delivery moved slightly off the deck to beat the southpaw’s outside edge to break the stumps.
On the first ball of Bumrah’s seventh over of the morning, he bagged the wicket of Markram for 31 runs. The extra bounce from a short length hit the shoulder of the bat as Pant dived to his right to catch the ball comfortably. Meanwhile, Kuldeep Yadav sent back Bavuma, who got an inside edge into the hands of the leg slip fielder.
Tony de Zorzi and Wiaan Mulder looked solid in the middle for the 34-run unbeaten third-wicket stand. South Africa pushed themselves to 105/3 at lunch.
India’s clinical bowling blows away South Africa’s middle order; visitors slip to 154/8
Mulder’s rush of blood led him to reverse sweep Kuldeep right after the break. But the ball turned sharply off the good length to dismiss the batter’s leg before the stumps. Three overs later, Bumrah returned for his second spell to trap de Zorzi LBW. The southpaw had no clue to the seaming delivery that stayed a little low to beat the batter’s inside edge and stuck him on the pad.
Kyle Verreynne and Tristan Stubbs showed patience in the middle to earn timely boundaries. But they couldn’t tolerate Siraj’s breathtaking second spell. Verreynne’s bat came down late as the nip-backer from the Hyderabad-born brushed the back pad. The wicket-keeper Protea batter also burnt the last review of the side.
Two balls later, Siraj sneaked through the bat-pad gap of Marco Jansen to hit the top of the off-stump. On the stroke of the tea break, Axar sent back Corbin Bosch as the visitors crawled to 154/8 in the second session.
India finish on 37/1 post Jasprit Bumrah’s 5/27 bundles out SA for 159
Bumrah continued his dominance late in the day. After a streaky boundary from Simon Harmer, he foxed the batter with a huge in-swinging delivery. It jagged back to sneak under the bat and crashed into the stumps. Two balls later, he trapped Keshav Maharaj before the stumps to complete his 16th five-wicket haul. The Proteas got bundled out for 159, losing their 10 wickets for 98 runs.
India lost Yashasvi Jaiswal early in the innings. The southpaw got a thick inside edge and ended up losing his leg-stump. However, KL Rahul and Sundar saw off the rest of the day’s play to shoulder the hosts to 37/1, trailing by 122 runs.
What to expect on Day 2
India will hope to bat for the entire second day and seize a lead of at least 175+ runs to nearly rule the visitors out of the contest. In the equal trend, South Africa will hope to restrict India anything under 250. Their pacers need to put up a strong show in the morning session of the second day.
Statistical Highlights from IND vs SA, 1st Test, Day 1
- Since 2010, South Africa record their first 50+ run Test opening partnership in India.
- Temba Bavuma has been dismissed by left-arm wrist spinners twice in his Test career at an average of 0.5.
- Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Aiden Markram for the third time in Tests. Markram has 102 runs in 178 balls in the battle.
- Jasprit Bumrah overtakes Zaheer Khan to be India’s third leading wicket-taker (42) against South Africa among pacers.
- Jasprit Bumrah () goes past Mohammad Shami (230) to become India’s fifth leading Test wicket-taker among pacers.
- Jasprit Bumrah equals Harbhajan Singh and Javagal Srinath to pick the second-most Test five-wicket hauls (4) for India against South Africa. Ravichandran Ashwin leads the chart with five fifers.
Another day when it was just a privilege to watch Bumrah bowl
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) November 14, 2025
