Overview:
Temba Bavuma used the controversy as motivation and led his team to success in the Test series.
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma has opened up about the remarks made by Jasprit Bumrah during the two-match Test series against India, saying that he received an apology from Bumrah and wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant for the comment while also mentioning that head coach Shukri Conrad shouldn’t have used the word grovel. South Africa won the Test series 2-0, their first in 25 years. However, the Proteas failed to achieve success in the ODIs and T20Is.
“I know they said something about me. Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant came and apologised,” Bavuma wrote in his column for ESPNCricinfo.
“I was not aware about the term and had to check with our media manager after the apology was made,” he added. Bumrah and Pant called him bauna during the series opener at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
“What happens on the ground, remains on the ground but you don’t forget. I used it as motivation but there are no grudges.” Bavuma also talked about the comment made by Conrad during the second Test in Guwahati. Conrad had stated that the visiting team wanted to make the hosts grovel, which led to comparisons with racist remarks made by former England captain Tony Greig during the series against West Indies.
Conrad expressed regret and Bavuma mentioned that better words should have been used by their coach.
“Shukri was under the scanner for his remark. I was questioned by the media as they wanted me to clarify the comments. I thought Shukri was in the best position to open up on the issue,” Bavuma explained. “When I heard about the remark, I didn’t like it but it was a competitive series and the players from both sides gave their best.”
“Shukri cleared his stance after the ODI series. He said he could have used a better word.”
Bavuma said he was expecting a challenging series in India.
“You don’t want to reopen the wounds and relive those scars.”