“Job’s far from done,” Shukri Conrad reminded everyone minutes after South Africa’s first Test victory in India for 15 years. “You don’t come to a country to win a Test match, you obviously want to win the series.”
That message, delivered in typically measured tones, set the theme for a post-match debrief that mixed pride with a clear warning against complacency. South Africa, current World Test Champions, now lead the two-match contest 1-0, yet Conrad was at pains to stress that the real prize lies a week away.
Key facts first
• South Africa won in Kolkata by 30 runs, overturning a first-innings deficit of the same margin.
• It is their first Test win in India since 2010.
• Temba Bavuma remains unbeaten as captain after 11 matches (ten wins, one draw).
A different challenge, a familiar resolve
Conrad accepted the surface was demanding yet refused to criticise it. “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,” he said. “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 coach’s theme of belonging felt deliberate. South Africa still struggle for recognition, despite a trophy cabinet that now includes the World Test Championship mace. Discussions about elite batters often revolve around Joe Root, Steven Smith and Shubman Gill, while Kagiso Rabada must share the fast-bowling spotlight with Bumrah and Pat Cummins. Their spinners rarely enter the same sentence as Nathan Lyon.
Yet Conrad sees a different metric. “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,” he noted. “We never give up.”
Recent evidence backs him up. Over the past year South Africa have:
• Secured a Boxing Day win via a ninth-wicket stand.
• Pulled off the joint-second-highest chase at Lord’s.
• Recovered from defeat in Lahore to win in Rawalpindi.
The Kolkata result slots neatly into that list.
Bavuma’s quiet authority
Former seamer Vernon Philander praised his captain’s influence. “Temba Bavuma gave South Africa ‘an opportunity of going for victory’ in Kolkata,” Philander said, calling the skipper “a wonderful inspiration”. Bavuma’s average as Test captain sits above 50, a statistic occasionally overlooked beyond South African borders.
Series context
A draw in the second Test, starting in Visakhapatnam next Thursday, will be enough for a landmark series win. The hosts, however, seldom stay quiet at home for long, and the pitch is expected to encourage even more turn. Conrad welcomes the scrutiny. He has yet to lose a series with a full-strength squad and knows another strong showing would underline South Africa’s credentials just months before they defend their WTC crown.
Room for improvement
Batting remains the obvious work-on: top-order collapses left the middle and lower order to repair both innings at Eden Gardens. The seamers were superb, but the lone specialist spinner will likely require more support next week.
Still, the mood inside the South African dressing-room is upbeat rather than euphoric. One historic win has been banked; the collective focus shifts to completing the job.
Conrad put it plainly: “We’ve proved we can ‘mix it with the best’. Now we need to do it again.”
