Eyeing historic series win, Bavuma sets aggressive tone ahead of Guwahati Test

On the cusp of recording their first Test series victory on Indian soil in more than two decades, South Africa captain Temba Bavuma has set a clear tone ahead of the second Test against India, stressing that his side will continue to play with intent when action begins at the ACA Stadium on Saturday.

Buoyed by a hard-fought 30-run win in the opening Test at Eden Gardens, the Proteas arrive here with confidence and opportunity on their side. The result not only gave them a 1-0 lead but also marked their first Test win in India in 15 years. Now, with the World Test Championship title under their belt and a resilient series draw in Pakistan earlier this year, Bavuma’s side is one win away from becoming the first South African team since Hansie Cronje’s 2000 squad to clinch a Test series on Indian soil.

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Bavuma underlined that the visitors will not fall into the trap of playing safe. “Ultimately, every game you’ve got to play to win. I think our mindset is not to protect the lead that we have. We want to play from the front, and we will continue to do so. In terms of the game, we’ll play what’s in front of us,” he said at the pre-match press conference on Friday.

“We understand that, yes, light does become an issue, but we don’t want to go in there with that defensive type of mindset. Whatever opportunities are there within the game, we’ll look to be ruthless and take them. But if there’s an opportunity for it to be 2-0, then so be it,” he added.

The biggest concern for South Africa is the loss of Kagiso Rabada, sidelined due to a rib bone stress injury. Yet Bavuma expressed full faith in Lungi Ngidi, who he believes has the experience and rhythm required to slot into the role seamlessly.

“I think he wasn’t under any delusions about him not being included within the original squad. Communication is a big thing within the team. I think with that being said, the guy has a lot of experience, and in a game like this where you want to be able to call upon your experience. I think it would be a little bit unfair to bring in a younger seamer to come and potentially do a role in this game,” Bavuma said.

“When Lungi was bowling yesterday, he was bowling as well as he’s ever bowled. The last Test he played, you know, he did quite well. So, you know, there’s confidence there. We’d like to feed off that confidence and the opportunities there for him to do well,” Bavuma added.

Assessing the conditions, Bavuma noted that the Guwahati pitch should behave more predictably than the low-scoring surface in Kolkata, which had uneven bounce right from the start.

“This wicket looks a lot fresher and will be more consistent in terms of variability compared to Kolkata. We will have another look in the morning and decide on Kagiso’s replacement. I think it’ll be a more traditional subcontinent wicket. Good for batting your first two days, and then on day three, the spinners should come into play,” he predicted.

“So think of all the fundamentals that come with playing in the subcontinent. First innings becomes crucial from a batting point of view to really set the game up. And your spinners, in our case, Keshav Maharaj, Simon Harmer, supported by Aiden (Markram), have them come into the game within the second or later half of the game,” he concluded.