Temba Bavuma remains unbeaten as Test captain as South Africa stun India in Kolkata

South Africa stunned India at Eden Gardens with a 30-run win on Sunday (Nov 16) and took a 1-0 lead in the Test series, ending a 15-year wait for a victory in India. India were chasing only 124, but the chase never even got going. They kept losing wickets and eventually crashed to 93 all out in 35 overs. Washington Sundar tried to fight it out with 31 off 92 balls, and Axar Patel brought some energy with 26 off 17. But the moment Jadeja and Sundar fell, the innings completely opened up. From there, it felt like every ball could be the next wicket, and the collapse rolled on without any real fightback.

This loss also makes it four defeats in India’s last six home Tests, something that would have felt unthinkable a few years ago. Even Rishabh Pant, leading the side, didn’t hide his disappointment. He said, "We should have chased this down. The pressure kept on building in the second innings."

Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir also pointed fingers at the batting group. He felt the conditions were exactly what India wanted. "It wasn't an unplayable wicket. This is exactly the kind of wicket we were looking for. The curator was very supportive," he added.

The day had actually begun with South Africa adding important runs. They started at 93 for 7 but pushed the total to 153. Temba Bavuma stayed unbeaten on 55 and showed the calm India needed. His stand of 44 with Corbin Bosch turned out to be a match-winning effort. Simon Harmer then took eight wickets in the Test, outbowling India’s spinners on a pitch that was supposed to suit Jadeja, Axar and Kuldeep.

Bavuma is yet to lose Test match as a skipper

Bavuma’s record as captain is now 11 Tests without a defeat, 10 wins and a draw, including the World Test Championship final win over Australia.

India now moves to Guwahati, needing a win just to level the series.