South Africa captain Temba Bavuma believes his team is in a better position to win the series after 25 years, but he does not think the retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma would make the forthcoming Test series against India any easier.
The South Africans are hoping to win their first series against India since the 1999–2000 season, when Hansie Cronje’s men dominated the subcontinent. The two-match rubber starts on November 14 in Kolkata.
“We’ve not won a Test series here in India for a long time. So, I think there’s a massive opportunity there and there’s a big target on our backs as a South African Test team.
“Also, there’s expectation on us (as world champions),” Bavuma, who is recuperating from a calf injury, stated at a brief press conference prior to India A’s second four-day match against South Africa A.
Despite the absence of India’s mainstays Kohli, Rohit, and R Ashwin, Bavuma acknowledged the outstanding performance of a youthful Indian team in England, where they finished the five-match series 2-2.
“It’s always tough playing in India. You’ve seen the young talent that has come in. The guys come in, they are all filling the boots. It is a big task.”
“Those guys you mentioned have performed over a number of years for India, and they’ve put India on the map of where they are now. But yeah, we’ll prepare as well as we can, understand the challenges that we’ll find here, and strive to put our best foot forward.”
The recent troubles of Indian hitters against quality spin are one of the flaws that Bavuma would like to exploit. He is well aware of their struggles the previous year against New Zealand spinners.
“Bowling has always been a strength of ours as a team. Now, we’re probably even better poised with those spin resources. We have Tristan Stubbs as well, if we do need another off-spinner, he can come in with something different.”
The three spinners in the South African lineup—off-spinner Simon Harmer and left-armers Keshav Maharaj and Senuran Muthuswamy—were also acknowledged by Bavuma.
“You need the bowlers to be able to take 20 wickets, right? I think now we’re quite confident in our ability and if the conditions are saying that spin is the threat, then at least we have the resources.”
According to Bavuma, India will be a formidable foe in their own backyard under new captain Shubman Gill.
“It’s a big task for those young guys (stepping in for retired stars). But you look at that young team led by Shubham Gill, the way they performed in England. England is a tough place to play cricket, but they held their own.. batters scoring hundreds, bowlers taking wickets.”
The 35-year-old stated that his team will need to take advantage of any weakness in the Indian defense.
“It will always be a tough challenge coming to India. Look at the opportunities there from a lack of experience (in Indian ranks), if you could say. But I think the guys have the talent and skill to make up for that.
“But we’ll try to uncover whatever weaknesses there are within their armoury.”
“You need the batters to score the runs. I think that’s the biggest thing in India. Your top four are generally the guys that score the runs. We need that cushion to allow our spinners to really get into the game.
“I think from a team point of view, it’s probably nicely balanced. I think whoever plays, plays well over those five days, we’ll come out victorious.”
“But looking at recent games, recent series in India — whichever way it goes, we have the resources within our bowling arsenal,” he explained.
According to Bavuma, he anticipates an evenly balanced series.
“I think playing against India, there’s always an element of aggression. Those guys take the game to you — the batters, bowlers. Obviously, led by a guy like Jasprit Bumrah, their bowlers are very aggressive. (Mohammed) Siraj is always looking to take wickets, always looking to get into the game.
“So, we’ve got to make sure that we’re switched on. We’ve got to make sure that we’re ready with our A game. I expect nothing but an exciting series for the players, but also for people who will be watching.”
According to Bavuma, South Africa’s 1-1 draw with Pakistan in the away series will improve their confidence.
“You look at the way the guys played in that second Test (when South Africa beat Pakistan by 8 wickets at Rawalpindi), there are a lot of positives, and belief that we can take coming here to India.
“I guess the one thing from that series that we can’t afford to do here in India is to start slowly. We don’t want to give the guys an opportunity to get ahead of the game. But from the way we played in that second Test at least, we can just build from that.”
Due to a calf ailment that prevented him from playing in that series, Bavuma now hopes to use the four-day match at the BCCI Centre of Excellence facility in Bengaluru to prepare for the upcoming grind.
“It’s an ideal preparation for the series, but also after the long layoff that I’ve had. So yeah, opportunity to be out in the field, get some mileage on the legs, hopefully spend time out on the crease and also get accustomed to the conditions here, looking at the upcoming Test series,” he signed off.
