Bavuma desperate to protect proud Proteas record against Indian superstars

Because of the limited opportunities available to play Test cricket, every match for South Africa can feel big, more important than the last. But in the case of the miniseries with India that starts on Boxing Day, it’s history that provides added enormity to the occasion. 

There is, Proteas captain Temba Bavuma said, “a lot of pride attached” to the Proteas' Test record against India in South Africa. In eight Test series’ South Africa have won seven, with a draw in 2010-11 the best outcome India has managed in 31 years of touring this country. 

“They are a determined team that want to be able to say that they have won a Test series here in South Africa. With that extra drive and motivation, it is a team against whom we will have to be at our best,” Bavuma said. 

Despite those 1990s and 2000s Indian teams containing great names like Tendulkar, Sehwag, Dravid, Ganguly, Dhoni and Kumble, those always felt like squads that turned up here more in hope than expectation. It’s been India’s last two tours here — both led by Virat Kohli — where they felt they should have won.

They got blitzed on a surprisingly seamer-friendly track at Newlands in 2018, succumbing to Vernon Philander’s brilliance in that first Test. Then at Centurion, where conditions were also surprising — slow and assisting spin — they lost a pulsating encounter, despite a Kohli hundred, because of a ferocious second innings spell from the then debutant Lungi Ngidi.

Two years later — so close they could still tap into their resultant fury and bitter disappointment — they went 1-0 up, winning at Centurion, a South African stronghold. India couldn’t knock out the Proteas, who chased more than 200 in the fourth innings on tricky pitches, at the Wanderers and at Newlands thereafter. 

“Every time we have come here we have felt we’ve had a good chance,” said Rahul Dravid, now India’s coach.

“We have drawn a series, we’ve come really close at times, it’s just we haven’t been able to cross the line.

“The focus is on understanding this is a challenge, there is no doubt. People might say this is our best chance, we have a good team, we believe we can play very well and we have to do that to beat a very good team in South Africa at home.

“South Africa play well in these conditions. They don’t lose too much, their record in these conditions is terrific, just like India don’t lose too much at home.” 

The Proteas have been vulnerable at home in the last decade though they have won the last three series here, including the 2021-22 series against India. Before that they’d won just one out of their previous four, including a 2019 defeat to Sri Lanka, which made Dimuth Karunaratne’s team the first from the subcontinent to win here. 

South Africa’s record isn’t much of a topic of conversation in their changeroom, Bavuma said. Instead, the focus is on what makes this Indian team dangerous, and it is in that regard that he and Dravid agree on one thing — the two Tests will be decided by which batting unit comes out on top.

“India’s attack is a strong one. The fact that they have achieved so much success in Tests in the last 10 years is because of that bowling attack,” Bavuma said.

“That nullifies the advantage we have with the [seam] bowlers. I think, really, it’s more between the batters and how they take on the challenge.”

Dravid said in South African conditions “there is something in the wicket at all times, teams tend to lose 20 wickets”.

“It’s about how many runs you can score, and how well you can bat in challenging conditions.”

The injury-enforced absence of Mohammad Shami is therefore a big blow for India to absorb. He was deadly in the 2021-22 series, effectively putting the brakes on Aiden Markram’s Test career at the time. 

That is one of the selection conundrums facing the tourists. After Ishan Kishan asked to leave the tour, KL Rahul will most likely keep wicket and bat at No 5. Keeping, however, is not something he has done often at first-class level, but the tourists are desperate for his batting, which is better than KS Bharat, a specialist keeper.

Meanwhile Bavuma, admitted South Africa would ponder “one or two positions” ahead of the selection meeting on Sunday evening. That is most likely to centre on playing all four quick bowlers.

With Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi coming through two training sessions, they are likely to feature alongside Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee in a potent four-prong pace attack. 

With rain forecast for most of the first two days, a shortened match would understandably create the best circumstances for such a scenario.