Jasprit Bumrah claimed his 16th five-wicket haul in just 51 tests to push South Africa to a dismal 159 all out shortly after tea before India replied with 37-1 from 20 overs at the close of the first day of the first test at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Friday.
The great fast bowler was in outstanding form throughout the innings with figures of 7-4-9-2 in the morning session before knocking over the tail to finish with 5-27 from 14 overs with five maidens.
There was little sign of the carnage to come when Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton added 57 for the first wicket after Temba Bavuma had won the toss and chosen to bat first on a pitch often occasionally uneven bounce but also appreciable turn for India’s four spinners.
But the tourists lost all 10 wickets for the addition of just 102 runs once Bumrah had prized the innings open dismissing both openers in quick succession with magnificent deliveries.
Markram bore the brunt of Bumrah’s excellent opening overs and required 23 balls to get off the mark which he did with two sumptuous drivea against overpitched deliveries from Mohammad Siraj who offered early scoring opportunities in contrast to his new ball partner.
Rickelton (23) was bowled by a beauty which straightened from around the wicket to hit his off stump while Markram (31), who had driven five fours through the off side and clipped Axar Patel for six over midwicket, had no answer to Bumrah’s delivery which bounced steeply and nipped away to provide an edge for ‘keeper Rishabh Pant.
Captain Temba Bavuma (3) was also blameless with a tremendous leg-break from Kuldeep Yadav (14-1-36-2) fizzing off the inside edge of his defensive bat and into the hands of Dhruv Jurel well positioned at backward short leg.
Lunch was taken at 105-3 with South Africa hopeful of a recovery given their long batting line-up but they endured a miserable session between lunch and tea losing five wickets and scoring just 49 runs.
Wiaan Mulder perished to his highly favoured reverse-sweep shot in the third over after lunch with wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav (2-36) trapping him lbw for 24 from 51 balls. The allrounder’s optimistic review showed the ball to be hitting the middle of middle stump.
Tony de Zorzi was trapped was trapped lbw by Bumrah to depart for 24 from 55 balls which included a rare moment of counter-attack – a straight six against Kuldeep – while Kyle Verreynne’s obdurate 16 from 36 balls also ended with an lbw for seamer Mohammad Siraj. Which was also optimistically reviewed.
Marco Jansen was comprehensively bowled by Siraj (12-0-47-2) for a third ball duck and Corbin Bosch (3) became the fourth lbw of the innings when he was trapped by left arm spinner Axar Patel (6-2-21-1) with the final delivery before the break.
Bumrah required just two overs after tea to finish the innings by bowling Simon Harmer (5) and making Keshav Maharaj (0) lbw victim No 5.
Yashasvi Jaiswal (12) was cramped for room attempting to cut a delivery from Jansen and was bowled off the inside edge but fellow opener KL Rahul (13*) and Washington Sundar (6*) reached the close unscathed – albeit in extremely defensive fashion having faced 59 and 38 deliveries respectively.
South Africa’s pace spearhead, Kagiso Rabada, was ruled out of the match with a rib injury incurred during training before the match and was replaced by Bosch in the starting XI.
Allrounder Mulder retained his place at No 3 and Jansen was preferred to the third spinner, Senuran Muthusamy, giving the tourists three seamers and two spinners.
India, however, opted for four specialist spinners and just two seamers with offspinner Washington Sundar selected to bat at No 3 and left armers Axar and Ravindra Jadeja at six and seven to complement Kuldeep.
INDIA: Yashasvi Jaiswl, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (wkt), Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj.
SOUTH AFRICA: Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Temba Bavuma (captain), Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne (wkt), Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Simon Harmer, Keshav Maharaj.
