South Africa captain Temba Bavuma revealed that India players Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah apologized to him after making remarks in their own language during the first Test at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Bavuma, who guided South Africa to a 2-0 Test series victory over India, noted that while such words are not easily forgotten, he holds no ill will. A stump mic incident during the first day’s play captured Bumrah and Pant referring to Bavuma as ‘bauna’ while appealing for an lbw in the 14th over. This term is often used for individuals with dwarfism and can be considered offensive when directed at individuals of short stature.
“A series against India is always going to be intense, and when it’s heated, it makes it even more of a spectacle and motivates the players further. As long as the respect is still intact between players, it’s all good with whatever happens on the field. I know from my side there was an incident where they said something in their language about me. At the end of the day, two senior players, Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah, came and apologized,” Bavuma stated.
“When the apology was made, I was not aware of what it was about; I hadn’t heard it at the time and needed to check in with our media manager about it. What happens on the field stays on the field, but you don’t forget what is said. You use it as fuel and motivation, but there are no grudges per se,” Bavuma mentioned, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
He also acknowledged that head coach Shukri Conrad could have chosen a better word than ‘grovel’ during the second Test in Guwahati. “Shukri also faced some heat for his ‘grovel’ remark. I was put under pressure by the media on that side, asking me to clarify the comments made. I thought Shukri was best positioned to give context to it all. When I first heard about it, it had an unsavoury taste, but it reminded me how tough and competitive the Test series was and what it meant to certain individuals within the group. Shukri spoke after the ODI series and put that issue to rest. In hindsight, he mentioned he could have selected a better word, which I agree with.”
Before Bavuma and his team, South Africa last won a Test series in India under Hansie Cronje’s leadership in 2000. Bavuma explained how he and Conrad had made plans for months to ensure South Africa, the current World Test Championship holders, emerged victorious on this Test tour to India after previous failures in 2015 and 2019.
“In terms of coach Shukri getting the best out of us as players, that groundwork has been in place since we began. Shuks instills confidence in the players, making them believe they are the best. The premise is that if we play at our best, no one can stand near us. We have always wanted to prepare ourselves for these types of encounters. Between the two of us, we spent months discussing India, what type of team and players we needed, and what we had to do to be successful. It wasn’t a case of arriving in India and saying, ‘Okay, how are we going to do things?’”
“The seed was planted long before the Test series. The fact that we achieved this victory two and a half decades later speaks to the magnitude of our performance and overall accomplishment. It’s another feather in our cap as a team, and we’re growing very well as a Test side,” he concluded.