No batter could go past 50 runs in the first Test at Kolkata apart from Temba Bavuma. The wicket was up and down, and the odd ball was turning viciously. However, the South African skipper, with his patience, temperament, and technique, managed to put on partnerships with the lower order and help South Africa reach 153 runs, which meant India needed 124 to win the Test thanks to the 30-run lead they had in the first innings; however, they fell short. Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar decoded Bavuma’s technique in his crucial 55 not out of 136 balls.
“Temba Bavuma showed that with his short back-lift and soft hands, keeping his bat speed just slow enough so that even if the ball took the edge, it would not carry to the close-in fielder,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.
“He also showed admirable patience and great temperament, even when the ball went past the outside edge. In essence, it was proper Test match batting and not what modern batters do the moment they find it is not a flat pitch and the ball is doing something off it,” Gavaskar wrote.
As the Test match ended within three days, there have been plenty of questions raised about the quality of the surface. However, Gavaskar, in an interview with India Today, supported the pitch. Day 2 of this game saw 15 wickets fall and he compared the same with 17 wickets that fell in the India vs Australia Test match in Perth.
“By the way, when India toured Australia last year, 17 wickets fell on day one in Perth. In Adelaide, 11 fell on the first day and 14 on the second. In Sydney, 11 wickets fell on day one and 15 on day two. Did the has-been have any complaints or caustic comments about those pitches? Absolutely not. Ten wickets on day two at Leeds. In Birmingham, eight wickets fell on the second, third, and fourth days.
“At The Oval, 15 wickets fell on the second day, but of course, unsurprisingly, not a word of criticism about the pitches in Australia and England. Lots of wickets fall in a day in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, but nary a word of sarcasm. That is left for India and Indian pitches.”
