On a crumbling rank turner at Eden Gardens, memories of Chennai 2021 and Mumbai 2024 resurfaced for India as Simon Harmer masterminded a brilliant defence of 123, delivering South Africa their first Test win on Indian soil since 2010.

South Africa sealed a 30-run victory in the opening Test on Sunday to go 1-0 up in the two-match series. Set 124 to win on a treacherous pitch, India were bundled out for 93, with Washington Sundar’s gritty 31 standing alone amid an otherwise faltering batting effort.

Harmer finished with a four-wicket haul, but it was Marco Jansen who set the tone for the ambush. His long strides, heavy lengths and steep bounce from the High Court End rattled India before the spinners took over. With the chase barely underway, the 2.06m left-armer removed both openers inside seven deliveries, ripping the heart out of India’s top order and silencing Eden Gardens before the stands had even filled.

India vs South Africa 1st Test Day 3: Updates

Yashasvi Jaiswal, teased by width twice, was undone by one that climbed sharply from a fourth-stump line. KL Rahul, stepping in for the injured Shubman Gill, fared no better. Going around the wicket, Jansen produced a sharp lifter that Rahul could only feather behind. India were 10 for two at lunch, their supposed stroll turning into a scrap.

Dhruv Jurel and Washington Sundar stitched together the only passage of calm in India’s innings. Jurel’s neat leg glance and Washington’s assured defence promised a path through the chaos. But South Africa, relentless in their discipline, broke through just when India seemed ready to exhale. After 20 balls yielding just a single run, Harmer dragged the hosts back into the fire with a rare long hop. Jurel swung too hard, lost control and picked out deep midwicket, a dismissal that felt both avoidable and inevitable.

Harmer’s next strike came with even less ceremony. Rishabh Pant hammered a straight drive, only for the ball to balloon back to the bowler, leaving India 33 for three, effectively 33 for four. Ravindra Jadeja’s arrival offered hope, and his elegant leg glances briefly revived India. But Harmer, sensing opportunity, went very full. The ball thudded into Jadeja’s boot almost on the full, leaving no room for turn. With ball-tracking upholding the on-field call, India lost not just their set player but their review too.

At 67 for five, effectively 67 for six, Temba Bavuma sensed the moment. He handed the ball to Aiden Markram, who had been turning the ball sharply from the Club House End. In only his eighth delivery, Markram found the outside edge as Washington, solid all morning, pushed at a fuller ball. First slip did the rest. South Africa, marginally ahead at lunch, were now firmly in command.

The pressure intensified as Harmer trapped Kuldeep Yadav lbw, his fourth wicket, leaving Axar Patel with the unenviable task of shepherding the chase alongside a long tail. With Jasprit Bumrah at the other end, Axar knew he had to shift gears. Bavuma brought on Keshav Maharaj, a match-up Axar liked, and the left-hander responded with a four and two towering sixes, India’s first boundaries in 76 balls. For a fleeting heartbeat, Eden believed again.

But Axar, riding the surge, went once too many. Attempting another slog, he miscued to midwicket where Bavuma, sprinting back and fumbling for balance, completed a difficult catch. It was the moment India’s hopes truly evaporated, the Maharaj gamble paying off to perfection.

The rest was a formal procession. Harmer and Maharaj closed the door, South Africa’s fielders ringed the bat, and India, once favourites to finish the match inside three days, were swept aside on a surface that demanded patience, craft and calm their batting could not summon.

The second Test will be played in Guwahati from November 22-26.

– Ends