India Test vice-captain Rishabh Pant accurately planned how to dismiss Temba Bavuma, and Kuldeep Yadav reaped the riches in the ongoing first Test against South Africa, being played in Kolkata from November 14, 2025.

Temba Bavuma won the toss and chose to bat first, and openers Aiden Markram (31) and Ryan Rickelton (23) added 57 runs for the first wicket. However, Jasprit Bumrah accounted for both of them, and then Kuldeep Yadav shined with wickets of the middle-order batters.

Temba Bavuma came out at the no. 3 spot, and Rishabh Pant began planning his dismissal soon. He even instructed Kuldeep Yadav on where to place his fielders so that he could dismiss Bavuma.

With Kuldeep bowling, vice-captain Pant arranged the field and provided crucial tactical advice geared primarily at neutralizing the dangerous Temba Bavuma, a batsman known to wear down bowlers.

Pant's statements, captured on the stump mic, advised Kuldeep about Bavuma's preferred scoring shot and the precise location where he may be caught. Pant informed Kuldeep that Bavuma is prone to using the sweep stroke and would "get caught at the leg side." He explicitly ordered the fielders on the leg side to be ready for the opportunity.

Shortly after this tip, Kuldeep produced a spin that Bavuma tried to play off his pads. The ball touched the inside edge of his bat and sailed straight to Dhruv Jurel, who was positioned at leg slip, for a clean catch.

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South Africa lost their way after lunch as Bumrah and then Mohammed Siraj reduced them to 153/7 at the time of writing this piece.