India ended with the upper hand on day one of the first Test against South Africa on November 14, 2025, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. South Africa captain Temba Bavuma won the toss and chose to bat first.

Openers Aiden Markram (31) and Ryan Rickelton (23) added 57 runs for the first wicket, but then Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav rattled the top and middle order of the Proteas. Though Wiaan Mulder (24) and Tony de Zorzi (24) played fifty-plus balls, they couldn’t continue to score big.

Jasprit Bumrah took 5/27, while Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj took two wickets as South Africa was bundled for 159 runs. In response, India ended day one on 37/1, with Yashasvi Jaiswal being the dismissed batter for 12 runs.

Mohammed Siraj said the surface made run-scoring difficult, and conditions demanded discipline, especially once the shine came off.

“The new ball was coming on nicely to the bat, but when the ball went soft, the bounce became low as well. There has been some reverse swing on offer; if you bowl stump-to-stump, you'll get options to take wickets, and it isn't easy for batters to score runs,” Siraj said after stumps on day one.

Siraj also revealed how Jasprit Bumrah’s words to him fine-tuned his approach during a key phase of the innings.

“Jassi Bhai just told me that the wicket-taking option was if you bowl at the stumps, you've LBW, bowled, and even catches coming to play when the line is accurate,” he said.

Siraj said the team was satisfied with its position at stumps.

“We are in a good position, having lost just one wicket. (Earlier) Markram and Rickelton put on a good stand; we did well to come back, and I think we're ahead in the match at the moment,” Siraj signed off.

(ANI inputs)