NEW DELHI: Fast bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah was at his devastating best on Friday, producing a sensational spell of 5 for 27 to bowl out South Africa for just 159 on the opening day of the first Test at Eden Gardens. On a two-paced surface offering variable bounce, South Africa looked set to post a solid total after winning the toss and reaching 57 for no loss in the 11th over. But the moment Bumrah broke through by removing the first two openers in quick succession, the visitors’ innings completely collapsed.
South Africa then lost all ten wickets for just 102 runs, their middle order collapsing under Bumrah’s precision and relentless movement off the field. The five-wicket haul was Bumrah’s 16th in Test cricket, a landmark that places him alongside Bhagwat Chandrasekhar on India’s all-time list. Among Indian bowlers, only legends like R Ashwin (37), Anil Kumble (35), Harbhajan Singh (25) and Kapil Dev (23) have more than five wickets, highlighting Bumrah’s rapid rise in the longest format despite playing far fewer matches.Bumrah’s 27/05 also etched his name in the record books for a different reason. He became the first fast bowler since Ishant Sharma – in the day-night Test against Bangladesh at the same venue in 2019 – to take five wickets on the opening day of a Test in India. The last pacer to do so in a traditional red-ball Test was South Africa’s Dale Steyn in Ahmedabad in 2008. Notably, Matt Henry also picked up five wickets on what officially became the second day of the Bengaluru Test last year, after the first day was destroyed.Supporting Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav struck twice each, while Axar Patel contributed with a wicket to complete India’s dominant bowling performance.
