 "Jasprit Bumrah's alleged dwarf jibe at Temba Bavuma was caught on the stump-mic. Image: AFP")
Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is in the spotlight at Eden Gardens, not just for his brilliant bowling but also for a controversial comment caught on the stump mic. On Day 1 of the first Test against South Africa, a video clip of Bumrah’s on-field remark towards South African captain Temba Bavuma went viral on social media.
Bumrah started the morning in top form, taking the wickets of both South African openers. Ryan Rickelton was bowled by a beautiful delivery, and Aiden Markram was caught behind by Rishabh Pant in the 13th over. Bumrah looked dangerous with every ball he bowled.
But the incident that grabbed the most attention happened on the last ball of the same over. Bumrah hit Bavuma on the pads and made a loud appeal for LBW. The umpire turned it down, and Bumrah went into a discussion with his teammates about taking DRS. During this moment, the stump mic picked up Bumrah saying, “Bauna bhi hai b*****,” which many fans considered a taunt about Bavuma’s height.
Bumrah’s stump-mic slur at Bavuma?
Indian wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant was also heard repeating the slur during the discussion. The clip quickly spread across social media platforms like wildfire, with users reacting to Bumrah’s words. Bavuma, who recently led South Africa to the World Test Championship (WTC) title, returned to the team after missing the Pakistan series due to injury.
The first session of the opening Test between India and South Africa was full of action, as the visitors reached 105/3 in 27 overs after choosing to bat first at Eden Gardens on Day 1. South Africa started the morning strongly, but India pulled things back nicely thanks to Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav.
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View AllSouth Africa openers Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton looked positive from the start. They added 50 runs in just 9.2 overs, attacking anything loose. Rickelton was the more aggressive, scoring 23 off 22 balls before Bumrah produced a brilliant delivery to knock him over. Markram continued to bat with control as he reached 31 off 48, but he too fell to Bumrah a couple of overs later.
South Africa suddenly lost their early momentum. Captain Temba Bavuma struggled to settle and managed only 3 from 11 balls before he edged Kuldeep Yadav to Dhruv Jurel at slip. Wiaan Mulder and Tony de Zorzi then steadied the innings with a slow partnership, trying to rebuild after the quick blows.