Team India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah was frustrated over an LBW appeal against South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma during the first Test of the two-match series.
The incident went viral after it took place during South Africa’s first innings on Day 1 (Friday, November 14) at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
The visiting team won the toss and opted to bat first in the series opener. Openers Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton provided a positive start, adding over 50 runs for the first wicket. However, Bumrah shifted the momentum in the home team’s favour by dismissing both well-set openers in quick succession.
Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant Body Shame Temba Bavuma
During the 13th over of South Africa’s first innings, Jasprit Bumrah struck Temba Bavuma on the back pad with a sharp in-swinger. Bumrah immediately appealed for LBW, but umpire Rod Tucker turned it down.
Although Bumrah was confident, wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant felt the delivery had bounced too high, leading captain Shubman Gill to skip the review after a long discussion.
Rishabh: Kitne upar laga hai?
Bumrah: Bauna bhi toh hai ye
Jadeja: Height ka lagra hai?
Bumrah: Bauna hai ye behenchod
Replays later confirmed that the ball would have gone over the leg stump. Bumrah finished his first spell of seven overs with two wickets for nine runs, including four maidens.
Temba Bavuma Dismissed for 3 by Kuldeep Yadav
Temba Bavuma, who led South Africa to their World Test Championship title earlier this year, returned to the playing XI for the Test series against India after missing the Pakistan tour due to injury. However, his comeback began on a disappointing note in the first innings at Eden Gardens.
Bavuma scored only 3 runs off 11 balls before being dismissed by Kuldeep Yadav, with Dhruv Jurel taking a catch at leg slip. His wicket left South Africa struggling at 71 for 3 in the 16th over. After a long injury layoff, the skipper will now be under pressure to deliver a substantial innings in the second innings.
Sai Sudharsan Left Out of India’s Playing XI for First Test
The decision to leave Sai Sudharsan out of India’s playing XI has raised eyebrows. The management opted to experiment with Washington Sundar, while Karun Nair had already been dropped after a below-par showing in the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series in England.
Sudharsan produced modest returns in the two India A warm-up games against South Africa A, scoring 32, 12, 17, and 23. However, he had shown promise in the previous Test series against the West Indies with scores of 87 and 39.
The 24-year-old has accumulated 273 runs in nine Test innings at an average of 30.33, including two fifties. In First-Class cricket, he has 2,562 runs from 38 matches at an average of 39.41, with eight centuries and nine half-centuries.