Couple of weeks back, India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir had talked about how the 0-3 Test home whitewash to New Zealand in 2024 still rankles him. “I can never forget that and I should never forget that,” he had said. It turns out, neither has South Africa’s Test captain Temba Bavuma, who led his team to WTC title this year. “No team is unbeatable, right? New Zealand played very well in that series. Batters were fearless, bowlers executed their plans very well … so, those are the type of things we’ll also be looking to do,” Bavuma told SportsBoom.
Bavuma is South Africa’s first-ever full-time black captain, whose name, in his native Xhosa, means ‘hope’. And we can add confidence to it, going by his recent exploits. And that confidence is justified too. Without him, as he was sidelined by an injury, South Africa overwhelmed Pakistan in Pakistan in the second Test by a 8-wicket win that enabled them to level the series.
Bavuma hails from Langa, the black township near Cape Town which used to be a ghetto in the country’s racial past that saw changes after Nelson Mandela’s presidency. Not many teams are like South Africa in diversity and the challenges it comes with.
Their former Test captain Dean Elgar, a big fan of Bavuma, had once put it best to this newspaper. “I don’t think there is another country in the world that has to deal with this kind of dynamics in society. We all have a unique story, be it black, white, Afrikaans, English Afrikaans; in South Africa, it’s just that we have a lot more diversity. The way we have gone and the way things are right now in the team, I have never seen it better. The way guys respect each other and respond to one another is pretty special… Bavuma has come on leaps and bounds as a leader,” Elgar had said.
No wonder then, with the team dynamics in balance and great bonding within, Bavuma can look at a challenge of a Test series in India with great confidence.
“I think as a South African team, I don’t think we’ve won a Test series here in India for a long time. So, I think there’s a massive opportunity there and I think there’s a big target on our backs as a South African Test team.
“I think there’s expectation on us (as world champions),” Bavuma said during a media interaction ahead of the second four-day game between India A and South Africa A in Bengaluru. No cautious euphemisms, or hiding behind words like India are favourites and such. Bavuma is going for the jugular.
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“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,” he added.
It’s a pity that the series in India would be another two-Test series, but unlike India, South Africa come fresh from playing two Tests in Pakistan. It’s just not the known name of Keshav Maharaj but YouTube the spells of the offspinner Simon Harmer against Pakistan, and it will be difficult to pick a better overseas offspinner to have hit these shores in the last year or so. “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,” Bavuma said.
Milestone Magic! ✨
Simon Harmer’s sensational spell of 6/50 in 20 overs ranks as the third-best figures by a South African in Pakistan while also taking him past 1,000 First-Class wickets! 👏🇿🇦 pic.twitter.com/3JALC6BD3I
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) October 24, 2025
Bavuma noted the three quality spinners he has – the left-arm spinners Keshav Maharaj, Senuran Muthuswamy and off-spinner Harmer. “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,” he said.
He also remarked about the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli and did acknowledge the recent success of India. “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,” he said. “But we’ll try to uncover whatever weaknesses there are within their armoury.”
