NEW DELHI: South Africa captain Temba Bavuma believes that while playing against Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma is not a new experience, their presence undeniably strengthens the Indian lineup. The experienced duo played key roles in India’s 17-run win in the opening ODI of the three-match series, with Kohli scoring his 52nd ODI century and Rohit contributing 57. The second ODI will be played on Wednesday.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“The inclusion of those two guys that does bolster the team. Like we said at the start of the series, these are two guys who have a lot of experience and a lot of skill and that can only benefit the team. It is not something that we are not aware of,” Bavuma said during a press interaction before South Africa’s training session at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Stadium.
Reflecting on their longevity and stature in world cricket, Bavuma shared a personal memory, recalling Rohit Sharma’s rise as a young batter.“We played against, Rohit… I think it was in 2007, the T20 World Cup, I was still in school then. I mean, these guys have been around, so there is nothing new. These are world-class players,” he said.He added that facing such players is part of the sport and makes the contest more thrilling.“(Coming up against them is) nothing new, we have come across it. We have been on the bad end of it. But we have also had good times against them. It all just makes the series a lot more exciting.”Bavuma also addressed recent controversy around South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad’s use of the word “grovel,” saying the matter required no clarification.“No, I don’t think it is distracting (and) no it’s not for me to clarify,” he said.The Proteas skipper praised Marco Jansen for his brilliant 39-ball 70 in the first ODI.“From an all-rounder point of view, I don’t know where the rankings sit (but) I am sure Marco Jansen, in any one of the formats will definitely be in a top 10… He is only growing into his own and becoming a lot more comfortable under his skin.”Despite the defeat, Bavuma insisted there was little between the sides.“We were 15 runs (17) short of them… India played well, their two stalwarts stood up but we were not too far off.”Speaking about Test cricket, Bavuma expressed hope for longer, high-quality bilateral series.“All of us have been crying for more cricket especially against the top nations… Those are for, I guess, the people in suits, the Cricket South Africa.”With a smile, he added some players might want those longer series sooner rather than later.“Some of us are getting a little bit old, so we’re not going to go too long to make another four match Test series against India,” he said.
