The India vs South Africa test series begins today at Eden Gardens, and the cricket-loving crowd of Bengal filled the stands with an impressive turnout. The pitch of Eden Gardens is set for the big stage as the international game comes back at the iconic venue after 11 months. The iconic venue is hosting a test match after a six-year gap. India last played a test match at Eden in 2019 against Bangladesh. As the international test match came back to Kolkata after six years, the cricket lovers of Bengal came in large numbers.
This is also the first international match since Sourav Ganguly took charge as CAB president. Anil Kumble rang the bell of Eden Gardens. The Indian red ball session becomes extra special as Rishabh Pant returned to the squad after his injury, which he suffered during the fourth Test in England. He came back into the field and gave himself some game time as India A's captain.
Losing another toss, South Africa forced India to bowl first. After scoring two centuries in the India A matches, Dhruv Jurel made a comeback to the team in place of Nitish Reddy, and in place of Sai Sudarshan, Washington Sundar made a way to the team as a sixth bowling option. Before the test match, the sources from the Cricket Association of Bengal confirmed that over 95% of tickets for the first three days have been sold out. Bablu Koley, the CAB secretary, told RevSportz, “The response among fans has been extremely impressive, with tickets getting almost sold out for the first three days, and the ticket sale for the final two days will be dependent on how the match progresses.”
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Before the lunch break, South Africa made 105 runs, losing 3 wickets in 27 overs. Bumrah took two wickets, and Kuldeep Yadav took 1 wicket accordingly. For South Africa, Mulder and Tony De Zorzi are on the crease.
Teams
South Africa Playing XI - Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Temba Bavuma(c), Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne(w), Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharam.
India Playing XI - Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Shubman Gill(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
