As South Africa braces up for the tough tour to India — post-Hashim Amla’s retirement — one of its key batsmen and South Africa-A captain Temba Bavuma would want to use the current ‘A’ series as a sort of preparation for the challenges ahead.
Bavuma said playing in an alien sub-continental conditions, prior to the main tour, will put him and other batsmen in good stead against the strong Indian side.
“It is always nice to test yourself in foreign conditions like in the sub-continent. Obviously, we want to to get more game-time in conditions which we are not used to. It is important to make runs and pick up wickets in such conditions which will be good for us,” said Bavuma.
Playing well as a unit
Bavuma said South Africa will have to play well as a unit in the upcoming Test series to overcome the threat posed by world-class Indian batsmen and bowlers, especially Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah.
“Obviously any team will want to play well in India which has got a quality side. As batsmen we like to challenge ourselves against bowlers like Bumrah, Jadeja and Ashwin. And it will also be a challenge to bowl to world-class batsmen like Kohli, Pujara and others in the sub-continental pitches. More than individual performances we will have to play well as a team in the upcoming tour,” he said.
Bavuma said the retirement of Amla has left a big hole in the South African middle order and it was up to the regular Test batsmen like him to step up and fill in those gaps.
“It is difficult for any team in the world to fill the void left behind by Amla’s retirement. It is up to guys like me who have been playing Test cricket regularly for the last two years to step in and try to make it count,” he said.
“As a batter you are always greedy and would want more runs and centuries against your name. I am enjoying my journey as a Test cricketer and am always trying to improve,” he said on his career.
The 29-year-old batsman, who has scored a century in his two-match one-day career, said he would like to work his way back into the shorter version and sees the current ‘A’ series as an opportunity to grab selectors’ attention again.
The South Africa-A captain also said the current series against India-A will be competitive as both sides have quality players yearning to do well.
