South Africa captain Temba Bavuma (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi) Kolkata: Temba Bavuma has a record that will be the envy of any captain. He never lost a Test as captain of South Africa. He led the nation in 11 Tests, winning 10 and drawing one. The wins included the WTC final against Australia and Sunday’s final against India. “Awesome isn’t it?” South Africa coach Shukri Conrad said with a smile. “He’s an amazing guy.Awesome, unassuming, soft, sensible, icy, composed… All these adjectives work for Bavuma. “He also has a giant heart,” Conrad said in response to some of the taunts the captain has faced on the field due to his short stature.
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“It’s probably true that we beat them (India) at their own game,” Bavuma said after Sunday’s win over India. Spinner Simon Harmer, who was man of the match, said on Saturday that although their backs were against the wall, “there is still a lot of cricket left in this game”. Prophetic words, you. “I think the goal that was set up is what I understand was asked from their side,” Bavuma continued. “Obviously we came here knowing the wickets would be suitable for spinners.“But I think there are areas we can improve with our batting,” added the humble skipper. “With all the emotion and joy, we have to make sure we take that little lesson from it and come out as the better outfit in the second Test.”Bavuma’s unbeaten 55 in the second innings was worth its weight in gold and set up what was one of the best rearguard knocks we have seen in India. His approach stood out in stark contrast to that of his teammates and also some Indians who struggled with spin and bounce.There were no demons on the field, he said. India and South Africa coaches Gautam Gambhir and Shukri Conrad echoed his words that application was crucial in this wicket.“I don’t think there were any demons in terms of pace. At least nothing you wouldn’t expect in terms of how they tried to get you out,” he said. “I felt it was a bit difficult to trust the rebound of the goal. Some balls bounced nicely, others stayed low. I will always defend my defense and my game is so simple. I tried to play around the defense this morning. I thought it was a better goal this morning. It would have been nice for our side if we had goals. I think we would have been able to get more goals than 1 point to 1 point. the way the goal played, you would expect that from the third or fourth day.”Bavuma used his resources very well, especially in the second innings. He started with Marc Jansen to give them an early breakthrough, converting Harmer and Keshav Maharaj well. “Simon has over a thousand first-class wickets so he knows what he’s doing. He’s tall so the ball obviously comes from a higher track and he has good control in terms of pace. We relied a lot on Keshav (Maharaj) but Simon, as we saw today, really increased our resources.”A good captain, after all, is someone who knows how to use his resources.
