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South Africa national cricket team captain Temba Bavuma has finally addressed the controversial Eden Gardens episode that overshadowed an otherwise historic Test match last month. The opening Test between India and South Africa ended in spectacular fashion within three days, with the Proteas sealing their first Test victory in India after 14 years.
However, the first Test between India and South Africa will be marked by the controversial episode involving Temba Bavuma, Jasprit BumrahAnd Rishabh pants. During the game, the stump mic audio picked up comments from Bumrah and Pant which were widely criticized for mocking Bavuma’s height.
What did Temba Bavuma say about Eden Gardens Row?
They called the Proteas captain ‘Bauna (dwarf)’, and this remark triggered a massive backlash, and later, head coach Shukri Conrad justified his ‘crawling’ remark on India by citing Pant and Bumrah’s remark on Bavuma after their historic 2-0 in Guwahati.
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However, Temba Bavuma explained that series against India are always intense and emotions can boil over when the competition heats up. The skipper stressed that aggression and passion are part of the competition, provided that basic respect between players remains.
Temba Bavuma wrote in his column for ESPNCricinfo: “A series against India is always going to be intense, and when it is hot, it makes the spectacle even more and motivates the players more. As long as the respect is still intact between the players, everything is fine whatever happens on the field.”
Temba Bavuma speaks on Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah’s apologies
The South African captain revealed that Bumrah and Pant later approached him and apologised. Bavuma made it clear that while the words spoken on the field are not forgotten, they are also not considered hard feelings and there is no bad blood between them.
Bavuma further recalled, “I know from my side that there was an incident where they said something in their language about me. At the end of the day, two senior players, Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah, came and apologized. When the apology was given, I didn’t know what it was; I hadn’t heard it at that time and had to take it up with our media officer.”
The Proteas captain concluded by saying: “What happens on the field stays on the field, but you don’t forget what is said. You use it as fuel and as motivation, but there are no hard feelings per se.”
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Why 2-0 Test series win is a ‘major moment’ for South Africa?
On the other hand, Bavuma described South Africa’s 2-0 Test series win in India as a major moment for the South African team. He highlighted how rare the feat was, pointing out that their last series win in India was in 2000.
South Africa’s 2-0 victory in the recent Test series after more than two decades showed how far the team has come and underlined its growth as a strong Test team, Bavuma said.
Looking back, Bavuma recalls difficult memories from his previous tours of India. In 2015, South Africa lost the series 3-0 and he only featured in the final Test in Delhi. The 2019 tour was even tougher with India winning all three Tests against the Proteas team.
