Cape Town - Proteas men’s white-ball captain Temba Bavuma insists he will not let the “side-shows” affect his team in the upcoming T20 International series against India, starting on Wednesday in Thiruvananthapuram (start 3:30pm, SA time).
Bavuma has been caught in the eye of a rip-roaring storm since his omission from all six franchises squad lists at last week’s inaugural SA20 auction.
The skipper was visibly despondent, claiming he “felt let down” prior to the departure for India, but with a T20 World Cup looming on the horizon, Bavuma will not let his personal issues distract the team’s mission.
“My focus is on the team. I still have a role as the captain, and that is to lead and serve the team. My focus is on the World Cup, and making sure we are in the best space possible going into that tournament. Everything else, I try not to give it too much attention and energy. At the moment I am just trying to serve the team as best as possible,” he told the media on Tuesday.
“I’m here to make sure the guys are in the best space possible going into that big World Cup tournament. All the other distractions, side-shows, that’s stuff I will deal with on a personal level. But being here within the team, as long as I am still wearing the shirt, it will be to serve and lead the team.”
The best possible way for Bavuma to silence his critics is with a good run at the top of the order over the course of the next three matches, but, once again, the skipper is adopting a philosophical approach, especially with him returning to the national side after a three-month injury layoff.
“This is our last series before the World Cup. We will be looking to fill whatever gaps there are within the team, we have guys who have been playing lots of cricket, so we will be trying to manage their intensity. And we have got guys who need some cricket under their belts, and we will be looking to give them an opportunity,” Bavuma said.
The Proteas will face a stiff challenge across the next three matches, especially with India having been boosted by the return of superstars Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, who all missed the last series when the Proteas went 2-0 up before the hosts hit back to level it at 2-2. The series-decider was abandoned due to bad weather.
“Obviously, those are big names with big pedigree behind them, and obviously as you saw in their last while their performances have boosted the confidence of the team. We expect to come leading from the front, and good for us to come up against the best. You expect those guys to bring a lot of confidence and X-factor into the team.
"I expect the series to be a good one, a competitive one. We were challenged in all aspects of our game (back in July), and I think we answered it quite well.”
IOL Sport