India has finished the first day of their first Test match against South Africa, being played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, on a high.
The surface had quite a bit of movement throughout today, which the Indians made full use of early on. Their fast bowling spearhead struck five times, supported by other veterans in the squad.
The visitors, bar the top order, struggled, bundling well under 200, which in the longest format is not exactly a secure spot to be in.
The home side lost a wicket today as well, but were in control since then, finishing Day 1 with 37 runs on the board, trailing by 122.
IND vs SA 1st Test: Day 1 Summary
Ryan Rickelton and Aiden Markram steadied the start with a 57-run stand before being sent back to the dressing room by Jasprit Bumrah.
The captain, Temba Bavuma, was soon dismissed on just 3 runs. Tony de Zorzi and Wiaan Mulder both contributed 24 following the third dismissal, briefly restoring calm.
However, once this pair departed, South Africa found themselves in deep trouble against a relentless Indian bowling attack.
Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Axar all contributed with wickets besides Bumrah, who would pick three more to secure a five-wicket haul and bring the first innings to an end.
India started decently, with Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul kicking things off for them, until Marco Jansen bowled the former on 12 runs.
Washington Sundar was, interestingly, sent in at number 3, and he, along with KL Rahul, kept things quiet close to the end of the day. This also resulted in a bit of a run-drought.
There was even a point where India scored a boundary after 48 balls!
Nevertheless, finishing the day with just one wicket down and trailing 122 runs is relatively a good look for the home side.
Check Out: IND vs SA 1st Test: What Did Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant Say About Bavuma’s LBW Appeal?
