South African off-spinner Simon Harmer said captain Temba Bavuma was more deserving of the Man of the Match award in the first Test against India in Kolkata, insisting the skipper’s gritty third-innings fifty was the real turning point of the match. Harmer walked away with honors after taking eight wickets, including four in the final innings. South Africa successfully defended 123 on a pitch that has been tightly controlled ever since.
Harmer, a veteran with more than 1,000 first-class wickets, was in his element in Kolkata, tormenting the Indian batting with fluctuating pace and relentless accuracy. He also bowled over his Indian counterparts and helped dismiss the hosts for 93 – their lowest total in a fourth innings at home.
Meanwhile, Bavuma led from the front with an inspiring half-century – his only Test fifty. The skipper showed tremendous discipline and combativeness and faced 136 deliveries for his 55 at a the surface, which curled into a square, stayed low and rose unpredictably. Bavuma refused to throw away his wicket and was willing to grind through difficult spells.
His 44-run partnership with Corbin Bosch for the eighth wicket on Day 3 decisively shifted the momentum towards South Africa. From 91 for 7, the visitors recovered to post 153. Despite losing by 30 runs in the first innings, South Africa won the Test – their first victory on Indian soil in 15 years.
“I feel quite empty because I think it should have gone to Temba. I think his innings got us into the game and gave us a total we could defend. But yeah, it’s nice to contribute,” Harmer said after the Kolkata Test win.
South Africa won the toss and elected to bat on a surface that had misbehaved from day one. When they were bowled out for 159, they seemed to have squandered the advantage. However, Bavum’s rough knock in the third innings helped them set a challenging target.
“HIS CATCH WAS AS GOOD AS HIS INNINGS”
In the absence of Shubman Gill, India struggled to resist South Africa’s spirited bowling effort. Left-arm spinner Marco Jansen removed KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal early, denying India the solid start they needed. Apart from Sai Sudharsan, no other batsman managed to spend time in the middle as Harmer made life extremely difficult. Keshav Maharaj and part-timer Aiden Markram also chipped in to break the Indian chase.
Axar Patel struck with India trailing by eight and tackled Maharaj with two sixes and a four to reduce the equation to 31. But Axar miscued one and Bavuma held on to a high-pressure catch that proved decisive.
Goalkeeper Kyle Verreynne praised Bavum’s courage and said no one else wanted to get under the ball.
“The way Temba played in that game was unbelievable. But I think even though his innings was good, the best thing he did in that game was to take a catch (against Axar Patel). When the ball went up, 10 guys in the field looked the other way. Nobody wanted to be under him. To take that catch was pretty cool,” he said.
Bavuma and his men will look to complete the historic series win when the two teams meet in the second Test starting on November 22 in Guwahati.
– The end
Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
November 18, 2025
