The Proteas lacked intensity and missed the presence of fast bowler Kagiso Rabada on the opening day of the first Test against India at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Friday, where inconsistent bounce troubled batters on both sides.
South Africa appeared hesitant in the final hour of play as they attempted to defend an under-par first-innings total. Commentator Dale Steyn noted the uncharacteristic silence from the Proteas, while a delay to retrieve Ryan Rickelton’s helmet and pads during a Keshav Maharaj over highlighted a lack of urgency as the light faded. With India’s KL Rahul and Washington Sundar looking eager to leave the field, South Africa were unable to maximise the remaining overs.
India, in contrast, emerged with high intensity after lunch. Jasprit Bumrah, supported by Kuldeep Yadav and later Mohammed Siraj, delivered a fiery spell that made the already challenging conditions even more difficult for South Africa’s batters.
Batting coach Ashwell Prince said the Proteas struggled with the inconsistent bounce that Bumrah exploited, leading to the dismissals of Aiden Markram and Tony de Zorzi.
“Often when batters get into the 20s you expect them to grow in confidence, but I don’t think that happened for any of our batters, because of the inconsistency of the bounce,” Prince said.
South Africa made a strong start after Temba Bavuma won the toss and chose to bat, reaching 57/0 within the first 10 overs. However, both openers fell to Bumrah, and India quickly gained control of the day. Early signs of an unpredictable pitch came when one delivery rolled low for byes, followed by another rising sharply to surprise Markram.
Prince said the uneven bounce created uncertainty. “You don’t trust the surface as much as you should after spending an hour at the crease. And then, against a quality bowling attack… it does too much for you.”
In India’s 20-over stint late in the day, South Africa’s bowlers failed to mirror the hosts’ aggression or apply consistent pressure, despite Prince noting the surface was assisting fast bowlers. Rabada’s absence was felt deeply in what is a crucial series, with South Africa defending their status as world Test champions.
Marco Jansen, operating from the same end where Bumrah claimed 5/27, troubled the Indian openers and dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal, though he was encouraged to target the stumps more. Rabada’s replacement, Corbin Bosch, struggled with his lines, while Wiaan Mulder, sharing the new ball, lacked the pace to unsettle India.
“It was a sensational bowling display particularly from Bumrah. He was relentless — sometimes as batters there’s not a lot you can do,” Prince said.
Prince defended Mulder, dismissed lbw after missing a reverse sweep, and Tristan Stubbs, who scored an unbeaten 15 off 74 deliveries. He said the team encourages players to back their scoring options, though more aggressive choices may be discussed.
He noted that Rahul’s 13 off 59 balls showed the difficulty of scoring freely on the pitch. “From our point of view, we want them to have at least 150 to chase in the second innings, which means we have to keep that lead as small as possible and hopefully we set something up in the second innings.”
