Former South African skipper AB de Villiers has likened Temba Bavuma to MS Dhoni after the Proteas whitewashed the hosts by 2-0 in a two-match Test series. The visitors won the second and final Test by a gargantuan margin of 408 runs at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati on Wednesday.
This is South Africa’s maiden Test series win on Indian soil since 2000. Meanwhile, Bavuma has a terrific record as South Africa’s Test captain, winning 11 out of the 12 matches he has led in. One match ended in a draw after rain played killjoy at Port of Spain and thus Bavuma is yet to face a loss in his captaincy.
AB de Villiers said on Ravichandran Ashwin’s YouTube Channel, “South Africa lost that one Test in Pakistan which I think they should never have lost,” he said.
“But he didn’t play that Test, so he got off. I mean he surprised all of us. I’ve been in connection with my friends for years, for the first few years that he was named captain and I even was hesitant to say you know what I’m very confident about the call. Maybe it comes back to that old phrase, ‘You can’t judge a book by its cover’. He doesn’t look big like Greame Smith with a whole aura walking and that presence where he can be intimidating.”
The former RCB batter added Bavuma is always calm and never raises his voice in the dressing room.
“Temba is very, very small. He’s a soft-spoken guy and hardly ever raises his voice. It just shows you the different styles of captaincy can be successful. I think it’s similar for MS Dhoni maybe back in the day also. I hardly ever heard his voice. He was quite calm, didn’t speak much but when he did speak, I think people listened to him. I think that might be a similar case with Temba.”
Bavuma has been brilliant for South Africa and also played a match-winning knock of 55 runs in the second innings of the opening Test at Kolkata.
The Cape Town-born cricketer will look to lead from the front in the upcoming three-match ODI series against India.
