Photo: Arjun Singh/ SPORTZPICS for BCCI
Temba Bavuma reiterated that he will always put the team first, which was evident in the way he lost his wicket on 49 in the 2nd T20I against India in Mohali.
Bavuma introduced himself to the T20I stage with a solid 49 off 43 balls against India, in Mohali.
On debut, he showed composure and sheer will to spend time in the middle with his captain.
In the post-match press conference on Wednesday, Bavuma explained how he transformed himself into a more successful batsman in limited-overs cricket.
“Last season was a big season for me in terms of white-ball cricket. The fact that there wasn’t a lot of Test cricket allowed me to play a lot more domestic cricket, it just so happened that it was white-ball cricket,” said Bavuma on Wednesday evening.
“I just got that opportunity again to get my flow in limited-overs cricket, one-day cricket and T20s… to understand again what my game plan is when it comes to white-ball cricket and just to enjoy it in the end.
“I had decent success in the past season which obviously resulted in me being in the T20I team.”
Needing only one run to get to a maiden T20I half-century, he gave his wicket away in an attempt to up the tempo of the innings while wickets fell around him.
“I don’t see myself as a selfish person. I always try and put the team ahead of all personal ambitions. I don’t think I had to balance out between my own personal goals and the team, it’s always about the team,” Bavuma said firmly.
“If you look at the way I went out in the end, I’d like to think that it shows I put the team first.
“For me, that’s not a hard thing to balance but I think that with other players it is challenging.
“Especially when it’s your debut, you know the opportunities could be limited so you want to make use of them as much as you can. But I think putting the team first will always serve you well.”
WATCH: TEMBA BAVUMA POST-MATCH PRESS CONFERENCE (2ND T20I)
From the 12th over to the 17th over, the Proteas batsmen only managed to score 36 runs with the loss of two wickets – Van der Dussen and Bavuma falling in quick succession.
“When David came in at No 5 I think in the 13th over, we felt that we were in a very strong position, I think that’s where we probably fumbled a bit in our batting cause.
“At the half-way stage, I was honestly thinking 180 at least, that would be a very competitive score,” Bavuma explained.
“I think we just weren’t able to get going, I am also one to blame I wasn’t really able to get the momentum. And all the other big hitters… I felt the platform was really set for the boys to go out there and do their thing.
“It’s something we can work on, I don’t think we were completely outplayed in the game. There were a lot of positives that we can take from the game going forward.
“To be honest, I think the first 10, 12 to 14 overs, I thought we honestly played well they were always going to have a good bowling phase.
“It’s very hard to play a perfect 20 overs of cricket and I think as much as they had those good 2 or 3 overs, myself and Quinton were still able to build that partnership and get us to a good position.
“I think from the 12th over to about the 16th over, that’s where we lost the game. If we were able to keep up the intensity there, I don’t think we would’ve ended up with a score of 149.
“They’re a formidable team but I don’t think they’re an unbeatable side. Like I said, with our batting, it was just one phase that we let ourselves down. I mean, a quality side like theirs is going to make us pay,” he added.
“There will always be moments in the game where we can win. For us, it’s more about being aware of those moments and making sure we’re in the right mental space to win those moments.”
The Proteas take on India in the series decider on Sunday 15:30 SAST in Bengaluru.
