Bavuma, Harmer and Jansen script sensational South Africa win at treacherous Eden Gardens
India roll over for 93 in their chase of 124 with their captain Shubman Gill absent with a neck injury
India roll over for 93 in their chase of 124 with their captain Shubman Gill absent with a neck injury
Scorer: Chandan Duorah | Commentator: Ashish Pant
And, breathe! A Test match that lasted only two and a half days but was not short in excitement by any stretch of the imagination. India chasing 124 were rolled over for 93 and that means South Africa have taken a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. A huge result for the visitors, who go to Guwahati on a high. If you missed any of the action, Sid Monga's report has you covered. That's it from us from the first Test. Until then, this is me Ashish Pant, signing off on behalf of Ekanth, Chandan and Raghav. Ciao!
Simon Harmer is the player of the match: [Happy days?] I felt today it was a bit flatter as the ball got older; it wasn't exploding as much. I asked myself some hard questions. Nice to contribute. I have been here before and it was a dark place. So to get here and be in this position, to be behind the eight ball again and to be able to fight back the way we did just shows our belief. [Stats guy?] I'm not a stats man, I'm a win man. I am happy with the win. Still a game to go in the series, so we will enjoy this. I knew I needed to bowl well. We knew we were one partnership away from getting into the game. It was the same with ball in hand. I just needed to try and put as many balls in the right areas. I missed quite a bit today and was lucky with Jurel's wicket. Just happy to be standing in this position with a win behind us. [Four-for] I was confused at the end, I didn't know Shubman won't bat. But personal accolades are trumped by a win. I am more than happy with the four-for and a win. [Any particular moment that had to be handled?] We needed to make sure to get the ball in the right areas. As you saw with the openers, there was enough turn. They had to play; the bowlers bowled as a unit.
Temba Bavuma, the South Africa captain: [Thoughts] 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 bring 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; it wasn't as extreme. It is not all the time that you score 120 and believe you are in the game. [Form] The captaincy, you're only as good as the players. That I give it to them. Batting, I am just comfortable with myself and my technique. I stand as still as I can, watch the ball. I have come here wanting to do well. Not a great record, but I have come here with exuberance and wanting to do well. It was about awareness, the leg opening up a little bit. The way I played it. [Changes from first innings] Second innings, I didn't change too much. I have played here before and I understand the conditions, and luck also played a part. [Bowlers] We didn't have KG, he is the leader. But we have Kesh, Simon, our bowling attack is bolstered by the two. Something for the spinners, they can handle, and then for the pacers, we have them as well. [Axar catch] That was not easy. Crucial moment, Axar had momentum on his side. Fortunately, he was able to make a mistake and I was able to grab it with my small hands.
First up, here's Rishabh Pant, India's vice-captain: [Thoughts] 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.
Time for presentation
Here's Keshav Maharaj: A little bit of nerves [after being hit for two sixes and a four]. I just wanted to be clear with my plans. Luckily I got the rewards; was a brilliant catch by Temba and we got back. [On Harmer] He was phenomenal, he showed his class, he showed why he has 1000 FC wickets. It's a privilege to bowl alongside him. Take nothing away from Marco Jansen as well. What a team effort, there has been exceptional team effort as well. Really great desire to get of the line, and we did it. [1-1 in Pakistan] We took a lot of confidence from that series. In India, it is a different, these guys have different skillsets. To tick the first box on this tour was phenomenal. [Assistance for spin] There was a ball very much so with your name on it. Simon showed the consistency more than me. Also the faith Temba showed in us, a lot of credit to him. We have not ticked this [India] assignment. We want to go forward and we can be really thrilled with what we have achieved.
Pieter Lubbe: "That brilliant catch was Temba Bavuma's 100th catch in First Class Cricket. What a moment in the game too"
Sid: "SA won by 30 runs.That exactly was India's lead in the first innings.Well played, South Africa.India's home woes look...well woeful. "
Reinier: "Glad we won but still feel it was a poor pitch. "
Logan: "Eden Gardens and its love of coming from behind victories continues."
2:11pm, Day 3, End of match: 10th win in 11 games as captain for Temba. Absolute scenes before the handshakes. Maharaj gave away 16 before going bang bang. Was a heck of a match for Harmer. India tried all they could do, no Gill hurt them. It's a time to watch and feel, not analyse, Can do both on Sreshth's live blog.
Rohit: "Really happy for SA. they deserve to win. "
Mohammed Siraj c Markram b Maharaj 0 (1m 1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0
Shubman Gill not at the ground, confirms Ravi Shastri on air. India have one wicket in hand
AR Patel c Bavuma b Maharaj 26 (30m 17b 1x4 2x6) SR: 152.94
SA won't mind this yet
Maharaj back. Will Axar farm strike?
Numbers reflect the dominance New Zealand and South Africa have had in Tests in India and how India have not been able to play to their strengths
A treacherous pitch made runs scarce, but Washington's serene control at No.3 quietly outshone the chaos around him
Cheteshwar Pujara also questioned India's approach and shot selection on the turning Kolkata pitch
India have a training session in Kolkata on Tuesday morning but Gill is not expected to take part in that
"You don't come to a country to win a Test match, you obviously want to win the series," South Africa's coach says