Overview
- Temba Bavuma won the toss and elected to bat in the opening Test at Eden Gardens, the venue’s first men’s Test since 2019.
- Jasprit Bumrah removed openers Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton before Kuldeep Yadav dismissed Bavuma, halting South Africa’s 57-0 start to reach 105-3 at lunch.
- India selected four spinners — Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav — with Rishabh Pant returning and Dhruv Jurel retained.
- Kagiso Rabada was ruled out with a rib injury, and South Africa brought in Corbin Bosch alongside spinners Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj.
- India’s XI featured six left-handed batters for the first time in their Test history, including Jaiswal, Sundar, Pant, Jadeja, Axar and Kuldeep.