South Africa Stun India with Historic Win at Eden Gardens

South Africa produced one of their most remarkable Test victories as they defeated India in Kolkata, winning their first match in the country in 15 years. The dramatic win came despite starting the day in a difficult position, leading by only 63 runs with just three wickets left. The visitors showed incredible fight and skill to set India a target of 124, which eventually proved far too challenging on a pitch full of unpredictable bounce and sideways movement. The South African players erupted with joy as they bowled India out for only 93, stunning the Sunday crowd at Eden Gardens.

Temba Bavuma played the most important innings of the match. He was the only player from both teams to score a half-century and guided South Africa to a lead of 123 runs. Bavuma had defended strongly on the previous evening, and his patience forced India into mistakes on the third morning. Even though some of India’s spinners bowled loose deliveries, Bavuma had already earned his advantage through careful batting. His contribution became the turning point of the match, especially with the ball behaving dangerously.

India’s target of 124 looked simple on paper but was extremely challenging on this pitch. Simon Harmer, who had struggled during his last tour of India almost a decade ago, bowled brilliantly and outperformed India’s spinners on their home soil. Marco Jansen also made life difficult for the Indian openers as his deliveries leapt unpredictably off a length, creating the pressure South Africa needed.

India began the day with hope, but their decisions raised questions. Axar Patel surprisingly opened the bowling, and as South Africa scored easy singles, India’s early control started to slip. Captain Rishabh Pant, who had been calm with his bowling choices on the second evening, suddenly made frequent bowling changes. He even took a desperate review that clearly showed the ball pitching outside leg stump. Ravindra Jadeja bowled from over the wicket, a sign of India’s growing frustration. Despite being the best player in the match until day two, Jadeja struggled to keep the right length on the third morning and became less effective when India needed him most. Washington Sundar was not used at all, even though the pitch was helping spinners.

Bavuma found a useful partner in Corbin Bosch, who confidently attacked Kuldeep Yadav. Their partnership of 44 runs for the eighth wicket proved extremely valuable. Bosch contributed 25 of those runs with aggressive hitting. Jasprit Bumrah eventually dismissed Bosch with a perfect delivery that hit the top of off stump. Mohammed Siraj then used reverse swing to remove Harmer and Keshav Maharaj quickly, giving India a slim chance of victory.

Once India began their chase, South Africa struck immediately. Jansen dismissed both Indian openers in his first two overs with deliveries that bounced sharply, taking their outside edges. From that moment, India were under pressure.

Washington Sundar, batting at No. 3, tried to stay steady just like Bavuma had done earlier. He faced more balls than any other Indian batter, but Dhruv Jurel made a mistake by pulling a short ball straight to deep midwicket. The ball stopped on him, which was typical of this pitch.

Harmer bowled beautifully throughout the innings, showing how much he had improved since his earlier tour. He varied his pace and length expertly, making life extremely difficult for Rishabh Pant, India’s most dangerous batter. Harmer eventually dismissed Pant with a return catch created by sharp dip and turn.

At 38 for 4, Washington and Jadeja added some valuable runs, but Jadeja repeated an earlier mistake. He defended with the bat behind the pad, and Harmer trapped him lbw again. It was a disappointing end to a match in which Jadeja completed the rare double of 300 wickets and 4000 Test runs.

Aiden Markram joined the attack and removed Washington with a perfect delivery that found the outside edge. Harmer then beat Kuldeep Yadav with a slower, turning ball. At 77 for 7, India needed a miracle. Axar Patel tried to create one by hitting two sixes and a four, but when he mistimed a shot, Bavuma took a brilliant over-the-shoulder catch to end India’s last hope.

Siraj lasted only one ball, giving South Africa a famous victory. Kagiso Rabada, who missed the match due to injury, celebrated the loudest, enjoying the rare moment of triumph in a country where he had only known defeat.