South Africa captain Temba Bavuma was candid enough to admit that he felt the emotion of “jealousy” when he got up in the morning to catch the first day of the much-awaited Ashes between Australia and England. Cricket’s oldest rivalry lived up to the billing on the first day of the first Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth as a total of 19 wickets fell on a spicy wicket as England went back to the dressing room with their noses in front.
Bavuma, who will lead the Proteas in the second Test against India in Guwahati, said the emotion of jealousy crept in because he too wants to play four or five Tests in a series.
Under Bavuma, South Africa ended their long ICC title drought earlier this year by winning the World Test Championship (WTC) after defeating Australia in the summit clash at Lord’s Cricket Stadium. However, one major criticism of the Proteas has been their tendency to play just two Tests in a series.
Addressing reporters in a pre-match press conference on the eve of the second Test, Bavuma admitted that playing in just two Tests doesn’t do justice to the competitive spirit of his side, and he just hoped to play in a series against India, which features four Tests.
“We woke up this morning to watch the Ashes. We watched with a bit of jealousy, knowing that they were playing five Tests. They’ll be going at each other. Hopefully, not too far in the future, but more in the near future, we’ll go back to play four tests against India,” Bavuma said.
The Proteas captain, who played an instrumental role in leading his side to a victory in the first Test against India in Kolkata, also set the record straight, saying players do not have any say in matters of scheduling.
“Players are not involved when it comes to mapping out the schedule. I think every of our players who have had the opportunity to interact with the media, have had that question in front of them. They have voiced out their frustration,” said Bavuma.
South Africa chase history
The Proteas have a chance of creating history when they take the field against India in the second Test in Guwahati. If South Africa are to win or draw the Test, then they would register their first Test series win in India after 25 years.
All eyes are on what sort of pitch is dished out in Guwahati after all the chatter around the track in Kolkata. India will be without their captain, Shubman Gill, due to a neck injury, and hence, Rishabh Pant will lead the side in his absence.
South Africa will once again be without speedster Kagiso Rabada as he is yet to recover from his injury. Earlier, the Proteas had won the opening Test in Kolkata by 30 runs as the visitors defended a below-par score of 123, bundling India out for 93.