India gained early control of the first Test in Kolkata as Jasprit Bumrah lit up the opening day with a superb spell. South Africa chose to bat at Eden Gardens but folded for only 159 runs.
Bumrah led the attack from the start. He removed both openers and Tony de Zorzi. He later took out two tail-enders. His spell broke the South African innings after they reached 57 for no loss. Wickets then fell one after another and the visitors could not recover.
Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj added two wickets each. Axar Patel picked up one on his return to Test cricket. India enjoyed a strong first session and kept the pressure on in the middle overs. South Africa never found a way out.
Bumrah finished with 5 for 27 from 14 overs. He bowled five maidens. It was his 16th five-wicket haul in Tests, which puts him level with Bhagwat Chandrasekhar. Only Ravichandran Ashwin, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, and Kapil Dev have more five-wicket hauls for India.
This spell also made Bumrah the first fast bowler since Ishant Sharma in 2019 to take a fifer on the first day of a Test in India.
Bumrah’s rise since his debut in 2018 has been remarkable. He now has 231 Test wickets from 51 matches. His average of 19.52 is the best among bowlers with at least 200 wickets. He has dominated South Africa as well. He has taken 43 wickets in nine Tests against them at an average of 18.97. This was his fourth five-for against the Proteas.
At home, Bumrah has been even better. He has 59 wickets from 15 Tests in India at an average of 16.55. He now has three home fifers. Among bowlers with at least 50 Test wickets in India, Bumrah holds the best average. Only Richie Benaud joins him with a sub-20 mark.
