India's star opener Yashasvi Jaiswal couldn't leave an impact on Day 1 of the first Test against South Africa but ended up achieving a towering feat. Despite being dismissed for a modest 12 runs off 27 balls the left-handed opener managed to surpass the legendary Sachin Tendulkar on a specific list of Indian batters.
Yashasvi Jaiswal bests Sachin Tendulkar's big Test record
Jaiswal's early dismissal brought his total Test career innings count to 50, at which point he had accumulated 2,450 runs. This places the young opener ahead of the Sachin Tendulkar, who had tallied 2,415 runs after his first 50 innings in the longest format of the game. Tendulkar, who went on to become the highest run-scorer in Test history with 15,921 runs from 200 matches, now sees his early-career mark surpassed by Jaiswal.
However, the list of Indian batsmen with the most Test runs after 50 innings is currently topped by former India opener Gautam Gambhir, who had an impressive 2,692 runs to his name after his first 50 outings. He is closely followed by Rahul Dravid, who had accumulated 2,540 runs. Gambhir finished his Test career with 4,154 runs from 58 matches. He is also noted for being one of the only two Indian batsmen to have scored over 10,000 runs in two different international formats (ODIs and Tests/T20Is - the exact combination of 10,000+ runs across formats is sometimes simplified to mean total international runs).
India bowl out South Africa for 159
The first day's action at Eden Gardens concluded earlier than scheduled due to poor light conditions. When stumps were called, India's first innings score stood at 37 runs for the loss of one wicket. At the crease, KL Rahul was batting on 13 runs off 59 balls, accompanied by Washington Sundar, who had scored 6 runs off 38 balls.
The highlight of the day was the exceptional bowling performance by pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who stood tall with a sizzling 5/27. The right-arm pacer was responsible for dismantling the South African lineup, taking the wickets of Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Tony de Zorzi, Simon Harmer, and Keshav Maharaj. Mohammed Siraj also contributed significantly by dismissing two batsmen. Despite India featuring four spinners in their playing XI, the collective spin attack only managed to secure three wickets on the opening day.