Temba Bavuma: “The guys don’t need any more motivation. You’re coming up against a team like India.”
Joseph Morris |
As the dust settles on the red-ball leg of India’s tour of South Africa attention now turns to the white-ball matchup between these two titans of international cricket – the ODI series.
Following a highly entertaining 2-1 Test series that saw the Proteas come out on top, all eyes are on newly appointed white-ball captain Temba Bavuma, in what is arguably the true beginning of his tenure upon his home soil.
“The guys don’t need any more motivation,” Bavuma says. “You’re coming up against a team like India.
“We’re desperate to build on that Test series win because India have generally had the better of us in recent years. They’ve got some of the best players on the planet who are likely to go well in all conditions.
“We understand the cricketing rivalry between the sides. These are series you want to be involved in and opponents you want to test yourselves against. “We want to continue the journey towards being considered among the world’s best again.”
In an interview with cricket betting site Betway, Bavuma detailed his surprise at being appointed captain: “It wasn’t something that I was expecting,” Bavuma says. “There was obviously anxiety and fear as to how I was going to take the team forward to new heights. “The journey is still young with the white-ball teams, I must say. But I’ve enjoyed it so far.”
It is worth noting the historic nature of his captaincy, as Bavuma is the first ever person of colour to captain a South African cricket team.
But the reasoning behind his captaincy was wholly due to the wealth of experience Bavuma has to offer at the level of international cricket, alongside his relationship with his team-mates.
“I was fortunate in that most of the guys, especially the senior guys, I’ve played with from school level,” he says. “We understand each other and, most importantly, the respect is there.
“I spend a lot of time with KG [Rabada] on and off the field. Shamo [Tabraiz Shamsi] and Quinton [de Kock], too. These are important players to have good relationships with as a captain.
“We’re fortunate that we have several legends of the past who I can call upon, too. JP Duminy was in the T20 management camp, and he added to the brains of the team. He has a great brain and I bounced ideas off him.”
One thing is for certain– the final leg of India’s tour of South Africa will not disappoint!
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