After Kolkata win, South Africa eye series clincher in Guwahati

South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad has shifted his focus to sealing a rare series win in India after his team’s thrilling 30-run victory inside three days in Kolkata.

The visitors ended a 15-year wait for a Test win on Indian soil with a spirited comeback at Eden Gardens. Elated but hungry for more, Conrad made it clear that the bigger goal lies ahead, securing a Test series win in India, something South Africa last achieved in 2000.

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“This was right up there for us. Coming to India, playing at Eden Gardens, doing something we haven’t done for 15 years, this is right up there,” he said, reflecting on the breakthrough result.

“We won a Test match in Pakistan, we’ve now won a Test match here but the job’s far from done. You don’t come to a country to win a Test match, you obviously want to win the series.”

South Africa began the third day under pressure, resuming at seven down with a slender lead of 63, but drew on determination, one of the hallmarks of this Temba Bavuma-led side. Bavuma showcased that grit with an unbeaten 55 that pushed the target to 124.

Their bowlers, spearheaded by Simon Harmer, matched that intensity, maintaining pressure throughout despite defending a small total and dismissing India inside 35 overs.

“There was prodigious turn, and the Indian quartet of spinners just don’t give you anything. You throw Jasprit (Bumrah) in there with a new ball and when it starts reverse-swinging, both him and (Mohammed) Siraj are obviously world-class,” Conrad noted.

“It makes our victory even sweeter that we were able to contend with all of that and come out on top. It gives you a belief that you can mix it with the best and do special things.”

The fight they showed in Kolkata is emblematic of a trend in this South African team, a refusal to back down, regardless of the situation. Their recent history is filled with examples, from the ninth-wicket match-winner against Pakistan on Boxing Day to the joint second-highest successful chase at Lord’s in the World Test Championship final.

“I’m so proud of the group in terms of the belief that they’ve got and how they pull together as a unit. It will do wonders for our psyche and it will do wonders for us going forward,” Conrad said.

“Whilst we might not have the ability that a lot of teams have, or we haven’t tapped that ability yet, what we lack in that, we certainly make up for in our ability to play as a unit and the resilience we show. We never give up,” he added.

The second Test begins on November 22 in Guwahati, where South Africa will look to turn their Kolkata triumph into a historic series victory.