South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma feels India will be dishing out rank-turners when they tour the country next month for a two-match Test series, although India have been inclined towards playing on sporting wickets under new captain Shubman Gill.
India have traditionally and historically relied on spin to dismantle opposition batting attacks and clinch home Test series wins. However, Gill has indicated that he wants the team to play on tracks that offer something for both batters and bowlers.
The Temba Bavuma-led side will take on India in two Tests, with the first match scheduled to be played in Kolkata from November 14-18, followed by the second Test in Guwahati from November 22-26.
**Spinner-Friendly Conditions Expected**
“In terms of the surfaces in India, (they are) spinner-friendly. We won’t be in shock if we get to India and we’re playing on spinner-friendly wickets,” Bavuma told the media during the CEAT Cricket Rating Awards.
“Generally, teams now are always using their conditions to their favour, especially with the World Test Championship cycle and the way that it’s been set up, so we won’t be surprised from that point of view,” he added.
Bavuma also emphasized that the success of spin for South Africa would depend largely on how well their spinners bowl in Indian conditions.
“From my experience, there always seems to be a difference between the way Indian spinners bowl in their own conditions versus spinners outside of India. There’s always that challenge of foreign spinners adjusting to the conditions. They’re either bowling quicker in these conditions or bowling flatter,” he explained.
**Building Confidence After WTC Success**
The South African captain agreed that the team turned a corner when they won the World Test Championship (WTC) title and believes it might just be the beginning of more global victories.
“Yeah, the confidence is definitely sky high. For me, that’s been a part of my legacy. As a captain, it’s great to be part of a winning team and part of a team clinching ICC events,” said Bavuma.
“We’ve come close in the past and all that heartache has only pushed us to work really hard. With this win of ours, it has pushed us to go for wins in ICC events. When the T20 World Cup comes around next year, the guys will be going full throttle to do what we have just done again,” he added.
**Drawing Inspiration from New Zealand’s Success**
Bavuma revealed that he was looking forward to drawing inspiration from New Zealand’s epic 3-0 whitewash of India in 2024.
“Touring India is never an easy one. Looking at the way New Zealand went about their business, it was inspiring in a lot of ways. A lot of away teams come to India and haven’t been successful,” he noted.
“I heard Kane Williamson is going to be here. I’ll definitely be asking him for tips on how they went about it,” Bavuma said ahead of the awards ceremony.
**Embracing the New Era of Indian Cricket**
The South African captain also pointed out that it is now the Gill era in Indian cricket, signaling a move on from veterans Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who have already done their part.
“It seems as if the new era has kicked in, if I could say. Guys like Rohit, and before him, Kohli, they’ve done their job. They put India really on their mat and they’ve made India a team to really be feared,” Bavuma said.
“I’m sure India will continue to dominate. Our job as South Africa is to not allow them to dominate as much,” he added.
**Quinton de Kock’s Return Sparks Discussion**
The retirement reversal of Quinton de Kock has become a talking point, and Bavuma believes the former wicketkeeper-batsman will now have to earn his spot in the team.
“I’m quite a little bit biased when it comes to Quinton. I grew up playing with Quinton from school cricket,” he shared.
“That he’s back again, I’m as excited as a lot of fans out there. But there’s quite a lot of young batters who have put up their name, so he’s obviously going to have to do what he needs to do from a run-scoring point of view,” Bavuma concluded.
https://www.freepressjournal.in/sports/we-wont-be-in-shock-if-temba-bavuma-ahead-of-india-test-tour-in-november