IND vs SA: Temba Bavuma Ruled Out Of 2nd Test; Dean Elgar Named Captain

According to the latest development, the South Africa National Cricket Team skipper Temba Bavuma has been ruled out of the upcoming second and last Test match of the series against the India National Cricket Team.

The Proteas captain wasn’t able to contribute much in the Test series opener against Rohit Sharma & Co. in Centurion as his biggest contribution was coming out for the toss, winning it, and then electing to field first.

He suffered a strain on his left hamstring in the first session of the match itself and missed the rest of the game. Notably, he hurt his hamstring when he was running on the field to stop a Virat Kohli drive off Marco Jansen.

He gave a chase to the ball and as he caught up to it, he clutched his hamstring and looked in severe pain. Temba Bavuma was not able to walk properly and the physio quickly came to check on him. The South Africa captain was taken off the field after the incident and the leadership duties were taken over by the former skipper and the veteran opener, Dean Elgar.

Dean Elgar did an excellent job on the field in the absence of Bavuma and rotated his bowlers nicely. He showed his class on the field and then with the bat to fulfill his leadership responsibility very well.

It was expected that Temba Bavuma would come to bat down the order in South Africa’s first innings as Marco Jansen was inching towards his maiden ton. However, he didn’t come and the all-rounder was left stranded at 84* off 147 balls when the Proteas lost their 9th wicket. After that Cricket South Africa (CSA) took to X to provide an update on the skipper.

“Following continuous medical assessments, it was determined that there was too much of a risk of aggravating his left hamstring injury had he gone out to bat at this stage of the game. The medical team are managing him to give him the best chance to bat should he be required in the 4th innings,” CSA stated.

?TEMBA BAVUMA UPDATE?

Following continuous medical assessments, it was determined that there was too much of a risk of aggravating his left hamstring injury had he gone out to bat at this stage of the game ? ??

The medical team are managing him to give him the best chance to… pic.twitter.com/Bx3bZVhUB3

— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) December 28, 2023

Dean Elgar To Lead South Africa In Temba Bavuma’s Absence In 2nd Test vs India

The batting services of Temba Bavuma weren’t required by South Africa at all in the match and he will also be unable to take part in the next game. Reportedly, he has been ruled out of the second game due to his hamstring strain.

In the absence of Bavuma, Dean Elgar will once again step up and take over the leadership responsibility. Also, Zubayr Hamza will join the squad.

The second Test will be played at the Newlands in Cape Town from January 03 to 07, 2024, and it will be a special occasion for Elgar to lead the Proteas as it will be his last ever game for his country in international cricket. Notably, Dean Elgar had announced his retirement ahead of the India series.

Temba Bavuma will miss the second Test due to a hamstring strain he picked up in Centurion, Dean Elgar will lead the side in Cape Town #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/MEud5niGTh

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) December 28, 2023

Talking about the first Test, South Africa once again crushed India’s hopes of winning their first Test series in the Rainbow Nation by handing over a massive defeat of an innings and 32 runs to Rohit Sharma and co.

Batting first, India posted 245 runs on the board, riding on the century from KL Rahul. In response, Dean Elgar smashed a stupendous 185 to help his side post 408 runs on the board. In the next innings, the South African bowlers destroyed the Indian batting line-up and bundled them out for 131 runs.

Only Virat Kohli, who scored 76 runs, was able to perform well while the rest of the batters failed miserably. Also, Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, and Nandre Burger were exceptional in the match.