South Africa national cricket team captain Temba Bavuma admitted that facing India with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma is always a tough challenge. The Proteas team, who recently defeated India 2-0 in the Test series, are fighting again due to the stellar performances of Kohli and Rohit in the first ODI in Ranchi.
Kohli scored his 52nd ODI century, while Rohit contributed a crucial 57 runs as India defeated South Africa by 17 runs in the first ODI in Ranchi on November 30 and took a 1-0 lead in the ongoing three-match ODI series. The second ODI is to be held in Raipur on 3rd December.
Temba Bavuma believes India has become a different animal with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli
Ahead of the crucial Raipur ODI, Bavuma admitted that having two such experienced and highly skilled players in the Indian cricket team makes the hosts even stronger.
He stressed that the challenge is familiar, but the presence of Kohli and Rohit always puts significant pressure on the opposition and makes the Men in Blue an even stronger lineup.
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“The addition of those two guys gives the team strength. As we said at the beginning 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’s not something we don’t know about,” Temba Bavuma told PTI ahead of South Africa’s training session at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Stadium.
Temba Bavuma remembers watching Rohit Sharma as a schoolboy
Reflecting on his long career, Bavuma remembers watching a young Rohit Sharma in the 2007 T20 World Cup, which India won in South Africa under the captaincy of MS Dhoni, when he was in school. Now, the 38-year-old opening batsman plays only the ODI format.
He said that both Kohli and Rohit have been consistently performing at the highest level over the years and their abilities make them a threat to any team.
The South African captain further added, “We played against Rohit… I think it was the T20 World Cup in 2007; I was still in school then. I mean, these guys have been around, so it’s nothing new. These are world-class players.”
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Temba Bavuma pushes for longer Test series, says two matches against India “not enough”
Meanwhile, Temba Bavuma revealed that South African players want more Test cricket, especially against big teams like India. The captain said that the recent two-match Test series against India seemed too short and many in the team wished it had been a three- or four-match contest as strong opponents motivate the team to perform better.
Furthermore, Bavuma said that decisions regarding the schedule and arrangements of long series are not in the hands of the players, adding that these responsibilities lie with Cricket South Africa (CSA) officials. He even jokingly said that some players are looking forward to a longer series soon as their age is increasing and they may not have many chances left to play the four-match Test series against India.
Bavuma said, “We are all crying out for more cricket, especially against top nations. It is up to the administrators, but we would love to play more than 2 Test series in the near future. Some of us are getting a bit old, so we will not be able to wait too long to play another 4-match Test series against India.”
