Just days after making history by beating India in a Test Series in their backyard for the first time since 2000, captain fantastic Temba Bavuma and his Proteas will now set their sights on the forthcoming three-match ODI Series.
The first One Day International between South Africa and India will be on Sunday in Ranchi, Jharkhand, in the northern part of India.
Before the first match in Kolkata last week, the Proteas had never even won a Test match on Indian soil in 15 years. But they managed to end that hoodoo under the leadership of Bavuma.
The reigning World Test Champions (WTC) then gained momentum after the first Test. And they went on to produce a performance of the ages when they smashed the hosts by a mammoth 408 runs in the second and final Test match in Guwahati. This was the heaviest defeat in Test history for India.
Pleasant surprise for captain
“Coming here, I never thought we would win the series 2-0. But it’s once again another memorable moment for this team,” Bavuma said.
“It’s a massive achievement for the team and, for me personally. Something I’ve been working towards and dreaming about for the last two months. Being injured and out of the game. It’s not every day that you can walk away from India with a two-nil series win.
“What makes it sweeter is that we have been on the other side of the result in past tours. It is an incredible achievement for this group of players.”
Ahead of the ODI, Bavuma admitted that the team is in a good space and in high spirits. He added by commending the batting and bowling departments for showing up.
“The team is in a really good space, but I guess that is what winning creates. From a batting perspective, we don’t have players scoring big hundreds. But we have five or six players who are willing to contribute collectively to ensure a formidable score.
“From a bowling point of view, we know that we have enough to ensure that the result is on our side.”
