South Africa captain Temba Bavuma isn’t ready to let his personal issues come in the way of the team’s performance as they gear up for the T20I series against India.
Bavuma has had a tough few weeks as he was snubbed in the SA 20 auction by teams, which he admitted was a low point for him. However, the skipper isn’t ready to let the outside noise interfere in the team’s performance.
“My focus is on the team. I still have a role as the captain, and that is to lead and serve the team. My focus is on the World Cup, and making sure we are in the best space possible going into that tournament. Everything else, I try not to give it too much attention and energy. At the moment, I am just trying to serve the team as best as possible,”
“I’m here to make sure the guys are in the best space possible going into that big World Cup tournament. All the other distractions, side-shows, that’s stuff I will deal with on a personal level. But being here within the team, as long as I am still wearing the shirt, it will be to serve and lead the team,” said Bavuma.
“This is our last series before the World Cup. We will be looking to fill whatever gaps there are within the team, we have guys who have been playing lots of cricket, so we will be trying to manage their intensity. And we have got guys who need some cricket under their belts, and we will be looking to give them an opportunity,” said Bavuma.
Bavuma also said that India have a lot of big names in their ranks and expects the series to be a competitive one.
“Obviously, those are big names with big pedigree behind them, and obviously as you saw in their last while their performances have boosted the confidence of the team. 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.’
“I expect the series to be a good one, a competitive one. We were challenged in all aspects of our game (back in July), and I think we answered it quite well,” said Bavuma.
