Bumrah brilliance leaves Proteas bewildered

India, led by the masterful Jasprit Bumrah, bowled with fury and accuracy to take charge of the first Test against South Africa at Eden Gardens on Friday.

The Proteas, after winning the toss and starting confidently thanks to an opening partnership worth 57, were bowled out 15 minutes after tea, having added only 102 more runs for a first innings total that is well below par.

India reached 37/1 when bad light ended the first day, with South Africa surprisingly lax in the 20 overs they were in the field, while their bowling wasn’t nearly as disciplined as India’s had been.

The intensity and skill from India was a few levels higher than most of what the Proteas experienced against Pakistan, with Bumrah superb across two spells on a pitch where the bounce was indifferent.

Bumrah’s rivalry with Kagiso Rabada was highly anticipated in the build-up to the series but, unfortunately for supporters and more so the Proteas, the South African spearhead was ruled out of the Kolkata Test with a rib injury.

Rabada’s skills and pace, on a surface where some deliveries kept low but a few more have jumped off a length, would have proved tricky for the Indian batters to handle in the final hour.

He sustained the injury at training on Tuesday; though scans revealed no fracture, Rabada experienced discomfort during a fitness test before the start of play and was ruled out of the match.

Corbin Bosch earned a fourth Test cap as a result, and was one of eight South African batters who were dismissed either lbw or bowled.

Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickleton had taken advantage in the first 45 minutes of Mohammad Siraj struggling with his line, to share the first fifty partnership for a Proteas opening pair in India since 2008.

But Bumrah’s change to around the wicket against Rickleton brought almost immediate reward when a delivery angled into the left-hander, nipped away from Rickelton, beating his bat and crashing into the off-stump.

Having done that, Bumrah’s next over saw him jag one back into the right-handed Markram that bounced more than the batter anticipated and which the opener edged behind.

Those dismissals seemed to unsettle the rest of the Proteas batters, while India, understandably got a lift out of their premier fast bowler’s brilliance.

Bumrah’s efforts also informed their strategy for the rest of the Proteas’ innings, with Siraj’s spell after lunch light years better than what he’d produced with the new ball as he too targeted the stumps, trapping Kyle Verreynne lbw and clean bowling Marco Jansen.

Given how well India bowled, Wiaan Mulder, restored to the starting line-up ahead of Senuran Muthusamy, and batting at No 3, should be furious about his injudicious choice of a reverse sweep, which was accompanied by him also burning a review.

Mulder looked good in scoring 23 but, having spent almost an hour-and-a-half at the crease, his efforts were wasted.

Tristan Stubbs will also look at his innings, an unbeaten 15 in almost two hours, in which his lack of intent allowed India to bowl at him without worry.

Stubbs, who made a battling 76 on a difficult pitch in Rawalpindi last month, is finding it difficult to strike the right balance between defence and attack as a Test batter.

On Friday his defence was technically strong, but his mindset was too restricted.

It meant that deliveries that should have been deposited to the boundary, like a full toss on his pads from Siraj, went straight to a fielder.

That also allowed India to build pressure on the rest of the South Africans, allowing Bumrah to complete an 18th Test five-wicket haul, with Siraj and Yadav picking up two wickets each.

Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer will be encouraged by the amount of spin in the surface, but their teammates need to offer more energy in the field to prevent India running away on day two.