Kolkata, Nov. 15 -- In what is called the Freedom Series, South Africa started by channeling their inner Bazball. They got their first 50-run partnership in 17 innings in India with openers Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton scoring freely; there were eight fours and one six in the first 45 minutes. Temba Bavuma had spoken of South Africa being "super excited" at playing in front of the kind of crowd they do not get back home. Well, there were 36,513 on the first day and, having put his coin-toss skills to good use, South Africa were walking their skipper's talk. The openers were Jasprit Bumrah-ed but, after a session even and exciting in equal measure, South Africa took lunch at 105/3. And then on a wicket where the second ball of the day kept low and the third rose menacingly, they skidded, slipped and slid to 159 all out in 55 overs. Wiaan Mulder and Tony de Zorzi were dismissed in six overs after lunch and it went downhill from there. Five wickets and 49 runs in the second session told its own story. South Africa lost seven wickets for 45 runs. Facing an attack missing the injured Kagiso Rabada, India were 37/1 at stumps with KL Rahul (batting 13) and Washington Sundar on 6 after Yashasvi Jaiswal had played on Marco Jansen. It didn't start that way. Having taken 23 balls to score his first run - "in terms of his positions and movement, it was the best nought from 23 deliveries I have ever seen, said South Africa's batting coach Ashwell Prince - Markram hit two successive boundaries off Mohammed Siraj, the second a cover-drive so good you would want to see on a loop. Rickleton took two boundaries off Siraj, a square-drive followed by a checked off-drive. In the over Markram hit Siraj for two fours, the innings' sixth, Rickleton had square-driven a boundary. After six overs, South Africa were 31/0. They reached 100 in 25 overs. Axar Patel was introduced from the High Court End and Markram cover-drove and then cut the left-arm spinner for fours. When Patel came back for his second, Markram danced down the wicket and hit a six. Then, as is his wont, Bumrah conjured up a wicket with a ball that nipped away just enough to kiss Rickleton's off-stump. He did that again with one that reared sharply to induce an edge off Markram. Mulder and De Zorzi repaired the innings with a 43-run stand but for the second time, South Africa lost wicket in a bunch. In six overs after lunch - with the chant "Boomrah, Boomrah" circulating inside Eden, the world's best fast bowler and Kuldeep Yadav, in the middle of an excellent 13-over spell from the High Court End - both fell. "It was sensational bowling, particularly from Bumrah," said Prince. "Bumrah was relentless, the spinners pretty good and Siraj found his line and length after changing ends." That said, four batters crossed 20 and two had got into double figures. "Quite a few will be disappointed but they were out to pretty good deliveries," said Prince. When batters cannot trust the surface, they may not grow in confidence even after spending an hour at the crease, he said. "And then, when you face quality bowling, they can get the ball in the danger area and it does too much for you." For Prince, that also explained why Mulder tried reverse-sweeping Yadav. Pointing out that he had got off the mark with that shot, he said, "we encourage batters to play their options." "One can argue that because you don't trust the surface, perhaps it created some doubt about hitting over the top," he said....