India’s ex-Test captain Jasprit Bumrah stated that there must be a reason why Washington Sundar was promoted to no. 3 batter in the ongoing first Test against South Africa, which got underway on November 14, 2025, in Kolkata. But he added that since he’s no longer the captain, he doesn’t have all the details.

India had an excellent day one as South Africa was bundled for 159 runs in the first innings, after they won the toss and chose to bat first. Aiden Markram top-scored with 31, while Jasprit Bumrah took 5/27. India ended day one on 37/1, with KL Rahul and Washington Sundar being the unbeaten batters at stumps.

India opted for four spinners, with all-rounder Washington Sundar taking the No. 3 spot, replacing Sai Sudharsan from the West Indies series.

During the post-day press conference, Bumrah was asked by News18 CricketNext about the surprising decision to promote Sundar up the order.

“I am not the captain as of now. I am sure there must be a reason behind it, and when those guys come, you can ask them. I am not really aware of what the whole thought process is. We back all our players to do the job. But I don’t know what the conversation was behind it," Bumrah replied to News18 CricketNext's query.

Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav were the three other spinners apart from Sundar, while Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj were the pacers.

In response to a question regarding the Eden Gardens pitch on Day 1, Bumrah stated that when the ball was fresh and hard, it provided enough movement. Accuracy became crucial when it softened, he continued.

“When the ball is hard and nice, maybe the deviation is a little quicker. As and when the ball becomes softer, the deviation lessens, and then your accuracy comes into play. When I bowled the first over, everything happened: the ball swung, and it stayed low. It was a little difficult to understand what the right length was," Bumrah said.