Bavuma's schoolboy memories of 'Hitman': SA skipper recalls watching Rohit Sharma play in 2007 World T20

RAIPUR: Like all of India, South African captain Temba Bavuma too is consumed by the magic of ‘Ro-Ko' and he highlighted the vast experience of India's Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma on Tuesday, eve of the second ODI against India at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium here.

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Quizzed about squaring off against the “peerless duo” again, Bavuma, who missed the first ODI in Ranchi due to illness, stressed that their presence “bolsters the team” and is “nothing new” for the Proteas.

India eked out a 17-run victory in the opening ODI with Kohli slamming his 52nd ODI century and Rohit scoring 57, to take a 1-0 lead. South Africa had entered the ODI series on a high having beaten India 2-0 in the preceding Test series.




Bavuma recalled his first memory of Rohit from the 2007 T20 World Cup. “We played against Rohit… I think it was in 2007, the T20 World Cup, I was still in school then. I mean, these guys (Rohit and Virat) have been around, so there is nothing new.

“These are world-class players. Coming up against them is nothing new, we have come across it. We have been on the bad end of it. But we have also had good times against them. It all just makes the series a lot more exciting,” he said.

A 20-year-old Rohit had scored 50 not out off 40 balls against South Africa at Kingsmead in Durban. Bavuma was 17 then. Rohit is 38 now and Bavuma is 35.

Niceties done, it was time for serious talk and the grovel word used by SA coach Shukri Conrad in the second Test at Guwahati came up for discussion. Asked to clarify the use of the word which has racist overtones by Conrad after Day Four of the second Test, Bavuma refused to be drawn into the debate and stated sternly, “No, I don't think it is a distracting issue but it's not for me to clarify.”

While he is in the middle of a keenly contested ODI series, Bavuma, the skipper of the WTC champions, urged for a longer Test series against India.

Taking a dig at the administrators back home, Bavuma added that scheduling was for “the people in suits in Cricket South Africa” to arrange, as players “have been crying for more cricket, especially against the top nations”.


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