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‘I was in school when South Africa played against Rohit Sharma in T20 World Cup’: Temba Bavuma salutes India greats
Despite losing the first ODI by 17 runs, Temba Bavuma expressed confidence in South Africa's ability to compete against India.
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma has downplayed the sense of novelty in facing an Indian side featuring Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, saying their presence is nothing unfamiliar to the Proteas, given how long both have dominated international cricket.
Ahead of the second ODI in Raipur, Bavuma reflected on the longevity of India’s senior stars, recalling that he was still a schoolboy when he first watched Rohit in action during the 2007 T20 World Cup. “We played against Rohit… I think it was in 2007, the T20 World Cup. I was still in school then,” he told reporters in Raipur ahead of the second ODI.
Kohli’s 52nd ODI hundred and Rohit’s composed 57 had set up India’s 17-run win in the opening ODI, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Bavuma admitted that the duo’s experience and skill strengthen India but stressed that South Africa are not daunted.
“The inclusion of those two guys bolsters the team. Like we said at the start of the series, these are two guys who have a lot of experience and a lot of skill and that can only benefit the team."It is not something that we are not aware of,” Bavuma told the media ahead of South Africa’s training session at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Stadium.
“These guys have been around, so there is nothing new. These are world-class players,” he said. “We’ve been on the bad end of it, but we’ve also had good times against them. It all just makes the series a lot more exciting.”
Bavuma heaped praise on Marco Jansen, whose 39-ball 70 took South Africa to the brink of a victory in the first ODI.
“From an all-rounder point of view, I don't know where the rankings sit (but) I am sure Marco Jansen, in any one of the formats will definitely be in a top 10. His contributions, with bat (or) with the ball (and) sometimes even both, they have been immense to our success,” he said.
Bavuma added that despite India’s veterans stepping up, his team were not far off in the series opener. He expressed confidence that the Proteas could bounce back, noting the narrow margin of defeat as proof that they remain competitive even against India’s most established match-winners.
