South Africa have proven its strength once again, this time overcoming the challenging subcontinental conditions to claim a 7-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the first Test in Mirpur. Traditionally, teams from Australia, England, New Zealand, and South Africa have struggled on spin-friendly, low-bounce pitches like those in the subcontinent. However, this time, South Africa turned the tables, handling Bangladesh’s spin attack while making full use of their pace advantage.

Bangladesh’s strategy was to stifle South Africa with spin, hoping to exploit the slow, turning track. But despite their efforts, it was the Proteas’ pacer Kagiso Rabada who rattled the Bangladesh batting order, while Keshav Maharaj also posed significant challenges for the Tigers. Though Bangladesh's bowlers showed some promise, it was not enough to cover the deep cracks left by their batting failures. As a result, South Africa secured a comfortable win.

Reflecting on the win, South African captain Aiden Markram expressed his delight at the result, calling it a "special moment," especially given the young and relatively inexperienced squad they fielded. Speaking in the post-match press conference, Markram said, "It's special. We're a pretty young, slightly inexperienced group, so to come to the subcontinent and get a win is great for us and the environment. This win does a lot for us and gives us a taste of what playing cricket in the subcontinent is like, and it excites us for the challenges that we possibly face here."

Markram, who had never previously experienced a Test win in the subcontinent, was clearly overjoyed. "I don't think it's something that we, as South Africans, will ever take for granted. It's a nice feeling to win. For me, I've been playing now for a couple of years and never wanted to sub, so it's a special moment for us. Having said that, I think the biggest thing you take from it is the belief and the confidence that you actually can do well here as a team. I believe that's where a lot of the game is played, is from a confidence and a belief and from a mental side of things. I think that will help the team a lot for us moving forward and see if we can put back-to-back performances together, because that's ultimately what makes a really good team. And we look forward to those challenges in the second Test."

While Markram himself didn’t shine with the bat in this match, his joy over the team’s success outweighed any personal disappointment. “Not one bit to me, to be very honest. If we win, I'll be the happiest man in the line. It's pretty simple. That's how I've been wired growing up. Of course, you want to contribute to the team. You want to win games for your team. But ultimately, for me, winning is a good thing,” he added.

With this victory, South Africa leads the two-match Test series 1-0. The second and final Test will be held in Chattogram on October 29, where Bangladesh will look to bounce back and level the series.