South Africa Stun India by 30 Runs at Eden Gardens, Seal First Test Win in 15 Years to Lead Two-Match Series 1-0
South Africa defeated India in the opening Test match at Eden Gardens here on Sunday. Chasing a paltry 124, South Africa have thrown down the gauntlet on day-four courtesy of off-spinner Simon Harmer with four wickets already in his kitty.
Aadrika Tayal 
New Delhi (India) November 16: South Africa beat India by 30 runs on the fifth day to take a 1-0 series lead in the two-match series, for their first victory in 15 years. The hosts were skittled out for 93 in 35 overs while chasing 124 and it was yet another instance of them struggling against top-notch spin on their own turf.
India Collapse in Tricky Fourth-Innings Chase
India’s chase started off on the wrong foot right from the toss, if not before. They had also lost their opener, Shubman Gill, to a neck spasm that landed him in hospital during the second day and was ruled out of the Test. It also meant KL Rahul walked out to open with Yashasvi Jaiswal with a little bit of work already pending. It took only seven deliveries for the match to be over for him.
Washington Sundar (31 off 92) and Jadeja (18 off 26) offered resistance during the chase but Harmer got rid of Jadeja and Aiden Markram dismissed Sundar. Dhruv Jurel survived an early DRS scare but perished trying to play a one-handed pull. Pant could only make 2 off 13 before becoming Keshav Maharaj’s first victim, caught and bowled. Axar Patel (26 off 17) cracked two sixes and a four before being dismissed soon after with only Jasprit Bumrah remaining at the other end.
Pant Reflects on Pressure, Missed Opportunities
India Vice-Captain Rishabh Pant said, “After a game like this, you can't dwell into it too much. We should have been able to chase it. The pressure kept on building. We didn't capitalise enough. Temba and Bosch had a good stand in the morning. That partnership between them hurt us. There was help from the wicket. A score of 120 can be tricky on these surfaces. But having said that, we should be able to soak in the pressure and capitalise. We haven't thought on the improvements but we will come back strong for sure.”
SA captain Bavuma said, “Very exciting. We want to be a part of these games and be on the right side of the result. It was tough for us and we needed the bowlers to brings us back in. We were able to change our bowlers frequently and that worked for us. Our bowlers, as and when they were called brought us in.[Turning point] My stand with Bosch was nice. The wicket played better this morning, wasn't as extreme. It is not all the time that you score 120 and believe you are in the game. The captaincy, you only as good as the players” in the post match ceremony.
Bavuma’s Leadership Extends Proteas’ Unbeaten Test Streak
It was India’s fourth setback at home within their last six Tests, a run during which they were blanked 0-3 by New Zealand in February last year.
The World Test Champions now lead the two-match series 1-0. The outcome also stretched the Proteas captain Temba Bavuma’s unbeaten sequence of Test matches. Since assuming the position, Bavuma has overseen 10 wins from 11 matches for South Africa, while that other match was drawn.
