At the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, during the opening Test of the two-match series between South Africa and India, Jasprit Bumrah made a startling comment about the visiting captain Temba Bavuma, making fun of his height. When the on-field umpire declared it “not out” after an appeal for a lbw (Leg Before Wicket) call, and the Indian huddle was debating whether to go for the DRS, Bumrah referred to Bavuma as a dwarf.
On the first day, Bavuma was only five balls into the crease when the ball struck his pads in the thirteenth over. Before bringing the matter upstairs, Bumrah conferred with his teammates and reminded them to remember his diminutive stature, referring to himself as a bauna (dwarf in Hindi). Coworkers Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja started laughing as they heard the comment.
View the footage where Bumrah refers to Bavuma as a dwarf here.
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However, it should be mentioned that Bumrah refrained from addressing the South African captain directly because he was more concerned with ensuring that Pant, the wicketkeeper, who had a good eye for the ball, could assist the team regardless of whether they went for the review or not. But after a solid twelve seconds of debating, the hosts decided not to use the DRS.
In the end, the choice to forego the review was the right one because the TV replay made it abundantly evident that the ball would have missed the stumps. Bumrah, who had previously claimed a wicket in that over, failed to claim his third of the day and his second in six balls. Bavuma’s stay was short-lived, though, as three overs later, spinner Kuldeep Yadav defeated him after a quick catch by Dhruv Jurel at short leg.
Both openers Ryan Rickelton and Aiden Markram, as well as the Proteas captain, are back in the dugout as of this writing, and the visitors are struggling at 86 runs for the loss of three wickets after 20 overs.
India
