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After avenging their ODI series defeat against Australia in the T20I series, the Indian cricket team is back on the field as they are hosting South Africa in a multi-format series. The tour kickstarted on Friday, November 14 with the first Test, underway at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata. For the unversed, the World Test Championship winners, South Africa wn the toss and elected to bat first.
The Temba Bavuma-led side found it difficult as they were bundled out at the score of 159 in 55 overs with Aiden Markram top-scoring with a 48-ball 31. For the hosts, Jasprit Bumrah was the pick of the bowler as he picked a five-wicket haul in his 14-over spell, completing his 16th fifer for India. Apart from this, Bumrah was also in news for his controversial remarks for Protean skipper Temba Bavuma.
There will be no discussion: South Africa breaks silence on Jasprit Bumrah’s “bauna” remark
Addressing the media after Day 1’s play, South Africa’s batting coach Ashwell Prince spoke at length about the incident which grabbed eyeballs. He said, "No, there will be no discussion. It's the first time, obviously, it's come to my attention. I don't think there'll be any issues with what's happened out in the middle," firmly indicating that the South African camp does not consider the incident significant.
His statement reflected the team’s intention to focus on the match rather than off-field distractions. It is to be noted that the exchange took place in the 13 th over of South Africa’s first innings with the visitors batting at 62/2. After Bumrah’s LBW appeal against Bavuma was turned down by the umpire, the pacer was heard saying, “bauna bhi hai”, drawing reference to the skipper’s physical stature.
Speaking of the game, after the Day 1 ended with Indian scorecard reading 37/1, KL Rahul (27* off 101) and Washington Sundar (22* off 74) have steadied the innings. After the conclusion of 33rd over, Team India had posted 68/1, trailing the Protea men by 91 runs.
