Having guys like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will offload the pressure on stand-in captain KL Rahul: Temba Bavuma

South African captain Temba Bavuma has opened up on Indian ODI captain Shubman Gill missing out on the three-match series against South Africa, which is scheduled to start on Sunday, November 30, in Ranchi.

Advertisment

Speaking exclusively to Star Sports ahead of the first ODI, Bavuma asserted that it wasn’t easy to replace the Indian skipper Shubman Gill in the two-match Test series, adding that it actually worked in South Africa’s favour. 

“If you look at the Test series, that was something that worked in our favour. To lose their captain in a big series, I think it’s not easy to just replace him. I mean, also as a player, as a batter as well. He fulfils a big and integrated role within their batting, with the guys generally kind of bat around him. So I think within the Test series, that was a big loss for them,” Bavuma said on Star Sports ahead of the first ODI.

Furthermore, Bavuma also stated that the stand-in captain, KL Rahul, will have the experience of the talismanic batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma during the three-match ODI series to offload the pressure on him. 

“I think in the ODI setup, I mean, at least KL Rahul, he’s the stand-in captain. I think he’s probably in a bit of a better situation, having guys like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma back in the team. So I think those guys will naturally take on a little bit more responsibility and kind of offload the pressure on him,” he added.

Bavuma, who led the South African team to a 2-0 Test series win against India in the two-match series, has reckoned that there will not be major changes in terms of his captaincy style in the Test and ODI formats. 

“From a captaincy point of view, nothing really changes for us. You want to lead with the bat and then lead the guys tactically on the field. That stays the same,” he concluded.

Advertisment

Stay updated with the latest cricket news, match insights, and exclusive updates at Sky247 India and download the Sky247 app to start betting today!