Steyn could be out of India series
Steyn, who was making his comeback to Test cricket after more than a year having broken a bone in his shoulder in November 2016, sustained the injury in his 18th over and immediately left the field to be assessed.
"During his delivery stride, he unfortunately landed awkwardly in the footholes," said Mohammed Moosajee, South Africa's team manager, who is also a medical doctor, after stumps on day two. "This caused a significant strain to the foot, leading to tissue damage on the underside of the foot in the heel area. He is unlikely to bowl in this Test match, because the recovery period for this could be anything from four to six weeks – which means he could be out for the series."
Moosajee was keen to stress that Steyn came into the match fully fit and the injury was not connected to the 34-year-old's recent problems. "I think it’s important to note, though, that this unfortunate injury was freakish because of the way his foot landed in the footholes," he said. "It’s in no way related to his bowling-load or not being match-ready. Understandably he was disappointed but, knowing Dale, he is going to try his best to recover as quickly as he can, because he wants to be out there. You could see how much he was enjoying himself in this Test match."
Moosajee added that while Steyn's heel is "quite tender and it's extremely uncomfortable to run", he could potentially bat in South Africa's second innings if required.
Steyn had bowled impressively on his return to the Test arena, dismissing Shikhar Dhawan and Wriddhiman Saha to claim figures of 2-51 before injury struck.
The Proteas finished day two 142 runs ahead with eight wickets remaining.
