IND v SA: Jasprit Bumrah’s Enter the Dragon-esque horrors haunt Proteas

With Jasprit Bumrah, the threat lies in what he could do, as much as what he actually does – an anomalous case of a man matching up to the ‘idea of the man’.

With a bottomless arsenal of bowling variations and a history of employing them with devastating success, Bumrah rarely has to put in the effort of sowing the seeds of doubts himself; invariably, the batters do that to themselves.

On Friday, South Africa was haunted, simultaneously, by Bumrah and his manifold hallucinatory reflections – something similar to the iconic mirror sequence from ‘Enter The Dragon’.

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The Indian pacer coaxed the ball to move – both laterally and vertically – from a first-day Eden Gardens surface against a South African batting unit that entrapped itself in a self-made maze of indecision.

Bumrah’s fifer was the cornerstone of the Indian bowling effort, which culminated in South Africa being bundled out for just 155 on the opening day. And it all stemmed from the Indian pacer’s ability to manipulate perception.

Bumrah’s initial five overs saw him give away just nine runs, with the South African openers, Ryan Rickelton and Aiden Markram, not taking their chances with him. But when has that ever stopped Bumrah?

A free-stroking Rickelton was bewitched by a Bumrah special that appeared to be seaming in off the surface, before it swung away late. There, but not there. Bowled.

Tony de Zorzi, attempting to learn from Rickelton’s misstep, had covered off his off stick with the bat against a very similar delivery, only for Bumrah to rip it in. There, but not there. LBW.

For Markram, the point of deception was warped around the bounce. Having played off close to 50 deliveries, the South African opener must have felt in control of the pitch’s up-and-down nature.

But, Bumrah whipped up some extra bounce with an effort ball that slid down the off side from back of a length. Markram, assuming it as an avenue for a cheap single to deep third, poked at it. There, but not there. Caught behind.

To be fair, no one would blame the South African tailenders, Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj, for their inability to keep out Bumrah.

It is not the first time South Africa has failed to separate this curious juxtaposition of the Indian pacer. In the 2024 T20 World Cup final, the Proteas had oversold the danger of Bumrah to themselves and contrived to lose the game and the title from what appeared to be an unlosable position.

The setting has changed, from West Indies to West Bengal. The for

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The Indian pace ace though simplified his process to it bare fundamentals, picking it apart from all the above-mentioned wizardry and mind games.

“If you want success in Tests, you need patience,” said Bumrah at the press conference on Friday after claiming his 16th Test fifer.

“Obviously, the outfield was very fast and the wicket was hard [today]. If you are desperate and try to bowl a magic ball, they will score runs fast. You need to control your temptation and create pressure. If you bowl continuously in a good area, you will get a chance to get wickets.

“There are some days when you get a chance to get wickets in 4-5 overs. But the majority of the time, you will have to bowl well. You may not get success by bowling well. But if you keep doing it, eventually you will get a chance to get wickets,” added Bumrah.

It is an explanation that dilutes what he does with the ball, across continents, formats, and conditions. But again, which magician worth their salt would reveal their secret to the rest of the world.

Published on Nov 14, 2025