Bavuma and Harmer lead Proteas to stunning upset in Kolkata

Some wins are simply sweeter than others, and the Proteas produced a 30-run victory at Eden Gardens drenched in honey and coated with caramel on Sunday.

Written off after a below par first innings total, then giving India too many easy runs in their first innings, the Proteas stormed back, led by a magnificent half-century by their captain Temba Bavuma, and a superb performance from the bowlers, to claim a first Test win in India in 15 years.

Already 2025 had featured two of the great Proteas Test triumphs — at Lord’s to win the World Test Championship and then against Pakistan in Rawalpindi last month — and this one will also be added to the list, especially given the conditions and the absence of the South African spearhead Kagiso Rabada.

But the rest of the players elevated their performances, on a pitch that 10 years ago, would have spooked them. But Bavuma and Simon Harmer, two of the players who were on that fateful tour, earned redemption on Sunday.

South Africa started the day, leading by 63 runs with just three wickets in hand, but Bavuma, playing with expert composure and technique of the highest quality, kept the second innings together. Even as balls were spinning past the bat, while some kept low and others jumped disconcertingly, the Proteas captain never looked flustered.

“I am just comfortable with myself and my technique. I stand as still as I can, watch the ball,” he said.

He played straight and on those occasions when India’s bowlers missed their mark, he picked up four boundaries. But to have batted for more than three hours on that surface, against an attack featuring Jasprit Bumrah and Ravi Jadeja, will make the innings one of the highlights of his career.

The 44-run partnership with Bosch, who played with clarity to score 25, hurt India, said their stand-in captain Rishabh Pant. “That partnership brought them back into the game,” said Pant.

Having set India a target of 124, the Proteas got the perfect start with Marco Jansen dismissing the home team’s openers, followed by Harmer destroying their middle order.

Unlike 2015, the Proteas now have the spin bowling weapons to make the opposition uncomfortable and, like New Zealand showed last year, India’s batters are just as vulnerable against spin as any touring team.

After claiming 4/30 in the first innings, Harmer took 4/21 on Sunday, picking up the player of the match award, though he admitted afterwards he didn’t bowl as well the second time around. “I just needed to try and put as many balls in the right areas. I missed quite a bit today and was lucky with (Dhruv) Jurel’s wicket,” he said.

With so few runs at their disposal every fielding switch and bowling change was crucial. The introduction of Aiden Markram, proved correct when his part-time off-spin removed the obdurate Washington Sundar for 31. But when Keshav Maharaj was brought back, it looked ill-advised, as he conceded a pair of sixes and boundary to Axar Patel.

“There were a little bit of nerves at that stage,” Maharaj, who wasn’t at his best in this Test, admitted. But on such a surface Axar’s method was risky and in the same over he top-edged another slog sweep that had Bavuma with his heart in his mouth as he turned to chase the ball. “That was not easy,” Bavuma said about the catch, which saw him take the ball on his fingertips as it fell over his right shoulder. “It was a crucial moment, Axar had momentum on his side. Fortunately, he made a mistake and I was able to grab it with my small hands.”

Having been teased by Bumrah and Pant in the first innings about his stature, seeing the Indian fast bowler with his arm around the South African captain and then Pant in deep discussion with him at the post-match presentation illustrated their recognition of the giant role Bavuma played in beating them.

For all the flak he has taken throughout his career, since being made captain by Shukri Conrad, Bavuma has built a magnificent record. He’s won 10 of his 11 Tests as captain, and has scored 969 runs at an average of 57. This win had Bavuma’s name written all over it and the Proteas captain’s greatness deserves recognition.