IND vs SA 2025: 'In Test cricket, if you need success, you need to be patient' - Jasprit Bumrah reveals his mantra after epic five-for in Eden Test
Jasprit Bumrah. (Photo Source: BCCI)
Published - 21 Dec 2025, 05:49 PM• Read time - 2 mins
Jasprit Bumrah wreaked havoc on Day 1 of the first Test between India and South Africa at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Friday, November 14. He bowled with great accuracy and finished with excellent figures of 5/27 in 14 overs. Bumrah made life difficult for the South African batters as he gave almost zero freebies, bowling five maiden overs in his spell.
This was Bumrah's 16th five-wicket haul in his 51st Test match. He now has the most five-fors among active Indian cricketers in the red-ball format. Only Ravichandran Ashwin (37), Anil Kumble (35), Harbhajan Singh (25), and Kapil Dev (23) have more.
While the wicket did have some uneven bounce, South Africa getting bowled out for just 159 in 55 overs wasn't justified. However, it exhibits Bumrah's brilliance, as he once again proved that when he is bowling in full tilt, he can blow away any opposition single-handedly.
After his heroics on the opening day of the much-awaited Test series, Bumrah said that bowlers need to be patient on such surfaces and resist the urge of bowling magic deliveries too often, as it could come out wrong, resulting in runs being leaked.
“In Test cricket, if you need success, you need to be patient. Especially on these pitches. Here, the outfield is quite fast and the wicket is hard. If you are very desperate here and try to bowl magic balls, you can be at risk of leaking runs,” Bumrah said after becoming the first fast bowler since Dale Steyn in 2006 to take a five-wicket haul with the red ball on Day 1 of a Test match in India.