India vs South Africa LIVE Score: Shubman Gill walks off in major injury scare for IND

India went in with a heavy spin setup for the series opener against the world champions, but it was Jasprit Bumrah who stole the show, tearing through South Africa with a brilliant 5 for 27 after they had cruised to 57 without loss.

By stumps, India had reached 37 for 1, with KL Rahul on 13 and Washington Sundar unbeaten on 6, backed by a deep batting order still to come.

Earlier, South Africa began strongly, moving to 57 without loss in the opening hour, but the momentum shifted once the 31-year-old Bumrah struck twice in the space of five balls. He shattered Ryan Rickelton’s stumps for 23 in the 11th over and then got Aiden Markram (31) nicking behind with a sharp, rising delivery.

Kuldeep Yadav joined in by removing captain Temba Bavuma for 3 at leg slip, though Wiaan Mulder and Tony de Zorzi steadied things briefly with a 43-run stand. Yadav broke that partnership too, trapping Mulder lbw for 24, before Bumrah returned to pin down De Zorzi.

Mohammad Siraj chipped in by trapping Kyle Verreynne for 16 and knocking over Jansen for a duck. Bumrah then closed out the innings in style, bowling Simon Harmer for 5 and trapping Keshav Maharaj lbw without scoring.

Figuring out the right length is the key at Eden as Bumrah said it needed him some overs initially to assess the conditions properly.

“Basically, it's the harder-ball game. When the ball is nice and hard, maybe the deviation is quicker. When I bowled the first over, everything happened -- the ball swung, it stayed low, it went high. One ball kicked, one went low... So then you see, okay, this is the way it's shaping. As the ball became softer, it settled down. The deviation was not consistent,” Bumrah said in the press conference.

South Africa’s long wait for a Test win in India stretches back 15 years, and judging by how this match has begun, that barren run seems set to continue. After being blown away on the opening day, they now face an uphill battle. To claw their way back, the visitors will need something exceptional with the ball in India’s first innings — early breakthroughs, sustained pressure, and a near-perfect display — otherwise the game may slip out of their grasp quickly.

India vs South Africa Highlights, 1st Test Day 2:

- Shubman Gill left the field with neck pain, following Washington Sundar’s dismissal by Simon Harmer.

- KL Rahul and Washington Sundar stay in defensive mode, carefully negotiating South Africa’s disciplined bowling as India’s scoring rate inches just over two an over.

- KL Rahul brought up his 4,000th Test run early on Day 2, reaching the landmark with trademark calm.

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