IND vs SA: Proteas plot a twist in the tale in India’s darkest hour at the Eden

The spectre of Kiwi humiliation last year came back to haunt Indian cricket once again. The team management’s insistence of a rank turner backfired – combined with the current batting order’s inability to cope with some quality spin bowling to help the Proteas beat India at their own game in the first Test at the Eden Gardens on Sunday.

Full marks to South Africa, the current World Test Championship (WTC) winners, for the way they picked themselves up from the mat after being dismissed for 159 in the first innings.

‘’Back home, there is a lot more appreciation for us since winning the WTC in June. We want to see ourselves in the final again in two years’ time,’’ Temba Bavuma, their inspirational captain, had said on the eve of the match. It’s been certainly a job well begun to go up 1-0 in a two-Test series to kickstart their title defence against such formidable opponents.

The match may have finished inside three days, but Bavuma’s men showed that they were made of sterner stuff and ready to learn from their mistakes. Meanwhile, the 30-run defeat after having the visitors on the mat will certainly go down as one of India’s darkest hours at this venue – always regarded as a fortress for them. Ever since losing to Pakistan in a now defunct Asian Test Championship (WTC) match in 1999, India had played 12 Tests here but have lost only once against Alastair Cook’s England in 2012.

What was the conversation that the team management had with team members after second day’s play which ended with South Africa tottering that 93 for seven, which had their nose ahead by just 63 runs?

‘’All I said was to try and play what’s in front of you and not have any preconceived ideas. When we realised after our lead of 123 would be the highest ever target chased in the fourth innings, we backed our chances,’’ Bavuma, who scored the only fifty in the Test against all odds, said after the win.

For all the talk of a rank turner the wicket was, it was lanky left-arm quick Marco Jansen who struck two telling bows to remove both openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal with only one run on the board. It certainly fired the hopes of South Africa and Simon Harmer, Player of the Match, got into the act again while the experienced Keshav Maharaj also came to the party with two wickets.

There are few fascinating stories in contemporary cricket that can match that of off spinner Harmer, a journeyman at 37, who made his first trip to India way back in 2015. He did not quite set the stage on fire on that trip and gave up his plans to excel in international cricket – signing up a Kolpak contract to play as County professional with Essex in England.

While in the years of wilderness, Harmer made a quiet visit to Mumbai to work with specialist coach Umesh Patwal to hone his craft while three years back, the doors opened for him rather susprisingly when he earned a call-up for a Bangladesh series.

There has been no looking back since then as Harmer has now added the X-factor to the South African spin attack which had been overtly reliant on Maharaj all these years. It’s no mean task to return with hauls of 4/30 and 4/21 against a Indian batting line-up and more importantly, his drift and flight will now continue to keep the hosts guessing even in the second Test at Guwahati.       

Asked what makes Harmer special in the sub-continent conditions – especially as he came here on the back of a six-wicket haul in Pakistan – Bavuma said: ‘’He brings in a lot of experience as he has more than 1000 first class wickets behind him. A tall guy, he can put maximum revs on the ball and it makes him difficult to read.’’

Over then to Guwahati, which will make it’s bow as the newest Test venue in India from 22-26 November.

Lowest targets India failed to chase down
120 vs WI: Bridgetown 1997
124 vs SA: Eden Gardens 2025
147 vs NZ: Wankhede 2024
176 vs SL: Galle 2015
193 vs Eng: Lord’s 2025
194 vs Eng: Edgbaston 201