Kolkata, Nov. 17 -- Running back, the ball over his shoulder, the sun in his eyes, Temba Bavuma completed the catch that put South Africa one wicket away from victory. One they achieved the next ball. An over that had Keshav Maharaj being hit for 16 ended with South Africa winning their first Test in India since 2010, the left-arm spinner having dismissed Axar Patel and Mohammed Siraj in successive deliveries to seal the victory. Being unbeaten in Pakistan and having won in Bangladesh, South Africa have ensured they will now not lose a series in India. That's not their aim, far from it. "You don't go to a country to win a Test, obviously we will try to win the series," said South Africa coach Shukri Conrad. The first match of the Freedom Series was like Test cricket in a capsule, the contest not even lasting eight full sessions. Nothing new there, said Bavuma. "Don't think I have ever played on Day 5 in India nor have I played on Day 4 unless they scored 600." The final over also encapsulated the contest: spinners taking 22 of the 38 wickets by trumping batters who had one plan of attack - attack. To that general approach, Bavuma's batting "went against the grind," said South Africa coach Conrad. Bavuma's 55* held the second innings together on a wicket where the skipper said the bounce was tricky. "That (the variable bounce) made cross-batted shots harder. But I always back my defence. I try to play around it," said Bavuma. In conditions Conrad had in another context described as suffocating, he said Bavuma was okay being beaten by balls on the outside. With the field spread, there were "singles on offer and ones and twos. I was able to capitalise on that," said Bavuma. Bavuma took 33 singles, often with judicious use of the sweep. More importantly, he played 96 dot balls (of the 136 he faced). With sixes and strike rates being part of the conversation in the longest format, talk of defence and dot balls can feel like an aberration but it contributed to one of South Africa's most memorable wins. Sunday's knock was Bavuma's seventh score of above 50 in the last 11 innings. For Conrad, his captain has been one of the world's best male batters in the past two years. Coming from a country where black batters are rare, that alone tells you of the impact Bavuma, 35, has had on the game. "His partnership with Boschi (Corbin Bosch) gave us something we felt we could defend," said Conrad. Bavuma and Bosch added 44 for the eighth wicket, the Test's second-highest partnership. The South Africa captain has yet to lose a Test in a format where they are world champions and it will not be overstating his case to say that Bavuma has been at the front and centre in the transformation of a team infamous for losing big moments to one suffused with belief. "It was important to keep the belief that the result can still go our way," he said when asked what the team spoke about overnight at 93/7 and with only 63 ahead. Giving India 124 to win, Bavuma's bowling changes and field placements meant it was India who were suffocated. With Axar Patel deciding to get the runs quickly, Bavuma gambled on Maharaj and it worked. Earlier, he had got Aiden Markram on and the part-time off-spinner responded by dismissing Washington Sundar. But even in the afterglow of victory, Bavuma spoke of batting and seam bowling needing improvement. Under him, South Africa have transitioned to believing in slow bowlers. Conrad said it was a change in mindset that "can do wonders for showing that South Africa is not only a pace country." The coach also said South Africa should no longer be surprised at beating India at home. Bavuma's calm, understated leadership, to say nothing of his ability with the bat, has a lot to do with that....