Temba Bavuma – India’s bowling attack ‘nullifies the advantage’ we have » Today Latest Stories

With the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Jasprit Bumrah, Gerald Coetzee, Mohammed Siraj, Marko Janssen, Logie Ngidi and Shardul Thakur – especially after his last series here – in the mix, you would expect the series between South Africa and India to make headlines. shooters. But South Africa captain Temba Bavuma has a different idea.

“We understand the conditions a lot better so you would expect us to adapt a lot better but their bowling is very strong,” he said at Centurion, where the first Test begins on Boxing Day. “The fact that they have been able to achieve this success is down to their bowling attack and that kind of edge that we have. It is more about between the batsmen and how the batsmen meet that challenge.”

It could be one of the most interesting storylines in the series, even if it doesn’t seem like it at first glance.

Four of India’s top six prospects – Rohit Sharma, Yashavi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer – have an average age of more than 40 years. None of the South African players in the team have such high numbers. At first, India appears to have a clear advantage. But if you dig a little deeper, you will find that among the players who have those impressive numbers, only Virat Kohli maintains them in South Africa. he Averages 51.35 here While Rohit, who has an overall average of 46.54, averages just 15.37 in four Tests in South Africa. Jaiswal is new to the scene despite having scored big for the West Indies, and Shreyas Iyer is yet to play a Test in South Africa. There is an argument that since Rohit’s last trip to South Africa in 2018 – he missed the 2021-22 series with a hamstring injury – and his progression up the order the following year, he is a much-improved Test batsman and we will see this time, there are still statistics that skew South Africa’s striking path.

Two of South Africa’s top six – Dean Elgar (46.16) and Aiden Markram (43.92) – average more than 40 at home, and another, Bavuma, is only 39.11. David Bedingham, who could be on his way to a debut, has a first-class batting average of 49.51 and in South Africa, he averages 47.28 in red-ball cricket. Consistency has long been a recent problem for South Africa’s batting – and it’s worth noting that just a year ago they were dismissed for less than 200 in seven successive Test innings – so this is the series to show whether any real progress has been made. Since the Australia series last summer. South Africa have only played the West Indies after that and won fairly easily, so this is their first major challenge since Bavuma took charge and Shukri Konrad was appointed coach.

“For me as a batsman, their bowlers will put you under pressure and their batting line-up as well, they (India) have famous Test players and guys who have performed in all conditions,” he said.Tempa agreed

They both spoke about the importance of maintaining South Africa’s unbeaten record at home to India, and Bavuma expanded on that by pointing out the unique pressures that come with playing India.

“There is a lot of pride associated with that, because we were able to maintain that record as a South African team… All of us as players feel that too,” he said. “But we realize that playing against India comes with some challenges, and that’s the kind of challenge that we want to focus on. Playing against India comes with a lot more eyes and a lot more scrutiny in terms of everything we do. So we embrace that.” The other thing that’s more obvious is He is the skill factor on the field. For me as a batsman, their bowlers will put you under pressure and their batting line-up as well, they have famous Test players and guys who have performed in all conditions. “They are a determined team as well, and they want to be able to say they have won a Test series here in South Africa, so with that extra bit of drive and motivation, we will really need to be at our best.”

As for Bavuma himself, the last part of that sentence rings particularly true after a difficult World Cup, where his form was under the microscope. He has not featured in a match since South Africa’s semi-final loss to Australia more than a month ago, so it is difficult to say what kind of touch he is in. He was scheduled to play in a first-class match from December 14 to 17. But he pulled out to attend a funeral, meaning he has not played any extended cricket since March.

Since then, he has become a father, captained South Africa in the World Cup, and will now take over as captain and middle-order batsman against India. Is he ready? “Mentally I’m as fresh as ever,” he said. “I didn’t get any red-ball cricket. Things happened with missing someone at home. But I enjoyed the time I spent at home, with my wife and young child, but I missed the cricket and was watching the players in T20Is” and ODIs. “We don’t usually get breaks for that long, especially in the season, so I’m going to take a break.”

Going forward, it will be a full summer and a busy 2024, with South Africa playing ten Tests and Bavuma looking to make history with the red-ball side.