Highlights
- Temba Bavuma has highlighted Indian new ball bowlers as big challenge ahead of the T20I series
- India and South Africa will lock horns on Wednesday in Thiruvananthapuram
- The 5-match T20I series in June ended at 2-2 stalemate
South Africa skipper Temba Bavum is wary of the Indian conditions and believes that the Indian new ball bowlers will be a big challenge. The skipper highlighted that Indian bowlers can swing the ball which could trouble his team.
“Facing the new ball bowlers (in India) is quite challenging, they make the ball to swing and move in quite a bit, a bit more than what we are accustomed to in South Africa. That’s obviously a challenge you have to manoeuvre around,” the 32-year-old said.
Bavuma opened up on the defensive approach and did not lose wickets in the initial phase. While he mentioned Bhuvneshwar Kumar as a threat, he won't be available after he was rested for the South Africa series.
“The key is to limit the damage and not allow the wickets to fall and try and get the momentum going. But yeah, Bhuvi and Bumrah they always challenge you with the new ball up front,” he added.
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“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,” the South African skipper said.
Bavuma and South Africa have some unfinished business from their last series against India after they lost a 2-0 advantage. The Proteas were in India in June when the five-match T20I series ended 2-2. The final match in Bangalore was washed out with Risabh Pant leading the Indian side.
The three-match T20Is series between India and South Africa is set to take center stage on Wednesday in Thiruvananthapuram. This will be India's final T20I series before the T20 World Cup in Australia.
South Africa squad:
Temba Bavuma (captain), Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Rilee Rossouw, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs.
