Former Indian cricketer praises South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma’s technique, says…

Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar praises Temba Bavuma's match-saving 55* and defends the Eden Gardens pitch after the first Test.

Temba Bavuma was the only batter to score more than fifty runs in the first Test at Kolkata. The odd ball was twisting ferociously, and the wicket was uneven and unpredictable. India needed 124 to win the Test because they had a 30-run advantage in the first innings, but they were unable to do so because of the South African captain’s patience, temperament, and technique, which allowed him to form partnerships with the lower order and assist South Africa reach 153. In his pivotal 55 not out off 136 balls, former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar explained Bavuma’s strategy.

“Temba Bavuma showed that with his short back-lift and soft hands, keeping his bat speed just slow enough so that even if the ball took the edge, it would not carry to the close-in fielder,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.

“He also showed admirable patience and great temperament, even when the ball went past the outside edge. In essence, it was proper Test match batting and not what modern batters do the moment they find it is not a flat pitch and the ball is doing something off it,” Gavaskar wrote.

There have been several inquiries concerning the surface’s quality since the Test match ended after three days. But in an interview with India Today, Gavaskar backed the proposal. He contrasted the 15 wickets that fell on the second day of this match to the 17 wickets that fell during the Test match between Australia and India in Perth.

“By the way, when India toured Australia last year, 17 wickets fell on day one in Perth. In Adelaide, 11 fell on the first day and 14 on the second. In Sydney, 11 wickets fell on day one and 15 on day two. Did the has-been have any complaints or caustic comments about those pitches? Absolutely not. Ten wickets on day two at Leeds. In Birmingham, eight wickets fell on the second, third, and fourth days.

“At The Oval, 15 wickets fell on the second day, but of course, unsurprisingly, not a word of criticism about the pitches in Australia and England. Lots of wickets fall in a day in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, but nary a word of sarcasm. That is left for India and Indian pitches.”

The Indian team is scheduled to travel to Guwahati on Wednesday for the second and final Test, starting Saturday.

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