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South Africa beat India by 30 runs in the primary Test at Eden Gardens with Simon Harmer and Temba Bavuma starring.
Simon Harmer picked up 4 wickets after Temba Bavuma’s plucky 55 as South Africa beat India by 30 runs (AP)
South Africa defeated India by 30 runs in the primary Test of the two-match series, to take a 1-0 lead, between India and South Africa on Sunday.
The match got over inside three days on a crumbling Eden Gardens pitch in Kolkata as South Africa won a Test match in India after 15 years.
India vs South Africa: 1st Test, Day 3 – Highlights
How South Africa Beat India?
India, facing a difficult goal of 124 on a deteriorating Eden Gardens pitch, was effectively three wickets down on the break. Injured captain Shubman Gill was ruled out of the match attributable to a neck spasm, leaving India needing 114 more runs.
The two.06m tall Marco Jansen (4-2-8-2) exploited his height and the conditions from the High Court End, dismissing each openers in consecutive overs.
Dhruv Jurel, in form and batting at No 4 instead of Gill, got off the mark with a leg glance boundary, remaining unbeaten on 4 off 12 balls. India’s experimental No 3, Washington Sundar, was on 5 from 20 balls, having survived some tense moments.
On a pitch where Bavuma demonstrated a solid batting approach, the Indian openers struggled. Yashasvi Jaiswal, tentative and late on the stroke, was out for a four-ball duck, edging a good-length delivery to Kyle Verreynne. In his next over, Jansen, bowling across the wicket, claimed the crucial wicket of KL Rahul for 1, with a ball that lifted sharply and ballooned off the glove.
Earlier, resuming at 93 for seven with an overall lead of 63, South Africa prolonged their advantage past 100, because of Bavuma’s regular innings and No 9 Corbin Bosch’s brisk 25 off 37 balls. Their 44-run eighth-wicket partnership frustrated India in the primary hour, scoring at over three runs per over.
Stand-in captain Rishabh Pant’s decision not to make use of Jasprit Bumrah from the more threatening Club House End, where he took a five-wicket haul in the primary innings, seemed puzzling. Nevertheless, Bumrah still made an impact from the opposite end, breaking through after 44 minutes of resistance.
Bavuma, playing his first Test since leading South Africa to a historic WTC triumph at Lord’s, remained unmovable through the morning and scored the primary fifty of the match with a fine-leg boundary off Bumrah. He survived an lbw scare on 54 when Siraj’s appeal was overturned because the ball missed leg stump.
Siraj struck twice in the identical over, dismissing Simon Harmer, who shouldered arms and saw his off stump rattled, and trapping Keshav Maharaj plumb in front with a pinpoint yorker.
Ravindra Jadeja finished with figures of 4/50 from his 20 overs. Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj took two wickets each, with figures of two/30 and a couple of/2, respectively. Axar Patel (1/24) and Bumrah (1/36) also claimed wickets, while Sundar didn’t bowl.
The second Test can be played in Guwahati from November 22-26.
(With inputs from Eeron Roy Barman and Agencies)
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes cricket content, havin…Read More
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes cricket content, havin… Read More
November 16, 2025, 14:19 IST
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