No flat pitch, no party: Fans slam Indias batting approach as South Africa register historic Test win

New Delhi: South Africa defeated India by 30 runs in the first Test match at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday, November 16. The Proteas registered their first-ever Test victory in India since 2010. Captain Bavuma played a sensational knock on the tricky surface against the Indian spinners and was the only batter to score a fifty.

Chasing the 124-run target, the Men in Blue got off to a poor start as Marcon Jansen removed openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal cheaply. Dhruv Jurel and Washington Sundar batted well and stitched a 32-run partnership. But Harmer removed Jurel for 13 runs, while Rishabh Pant succumbed under pressure for just 2 runs.

Ravindra Jadeja and Sundar kept India's hope alive and pushed the ball into the gaps, keeping the scoreboard ticking. But the all-rounder was trapped lbw by Harmer for 18 runs. Captain Bavuma handed the ball to Markram, which turned out to be a masterstroke as he removed Sundar for 31 runs.

Axar smashed a boundary and two maximums against Maharaj, but the left-arm spinner had the last laugh, as he removed the all-rounder for 26 runs and then wrapped up the game by taking the final wicket. The hosts were bowled out for just 93 runs.

Earlier, South Africa opted to bat first and scored 159 runs in the first innings. Markram scored 31 runs, while Mulder and de Zorzi also made crucial contributions. Jasprit Bumrah picked up a five-wicket haul, while Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav also took two wickets each.

The Men in Blue managed to take a slender 30-run lead in the first innings. Harmer picked up 4 wickets, and Marco Jansen also three wickets. Temba Bavuma was the only batter to score a half-century in the opening Test as South Africa set a 124-run target for the hosts, which they failed to chase down.

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The second Test match of the series will be played on November 22 at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati.