IND vs SA 2022: "Temba Bavuma is the weakest link in their team" - RP Singh after South Africa's loss to India in 2nd T20I
Former Indian pacer RP Singh feels Temba Bavuma's uncharacteristic knock proved to be a body blow to South Africa's chances of winning the second T20I against India.
David Miller's incredible unbeaten 106 off 47 balls wasn't enough as the Proteas scored 221/3, falling short of the hosts' mammoth 237-run total. In hindsight, they could only ponder upon what could have been had Bavuma gotten them off to a good start.
Instead, the South African skipper played out a maiden over to start their innings before being dismissed off the second ball of the second over for a seven-ball duck. Following that knock, more questions were raised about his place in the T20I team despite him being the captain.
Speaking to Cricbuzz after the game, RP Singh explained why the Proteas not making the most of their powerplay cost them the game. He said:
"Everyone probably knows that their captain Temba Bavuma is the weakest link in their team. Even Riley Rossouw wasn't able to get any runs. Had these two played well, South Africa would have got a better start."
Singh added:
"It is important to capitalize on the powerplay as it then becomes a bit easier to reach the target."
Temba Bavuma's powerplay record in his entire T20 career
Average: 15.5
SR: 96.4
I mean, he's neither seeing off the new ball, nor accelerating. There's no explaining his presence in the T20I team
#INDvSA
Credit to David Miller for keeping South Africa in the game against India: Ashish Nehra
Gujarat Titans head coach and former Indian cricketer Ashish Nehra was also present in the discussion. He worked closely with Miller during the 2022 Indian Premier League season and knows exactly what the latter is capable of.
Killer Miller - making run-chases thrilling since 2013. 🤯 twitter.com/paarlroyals/st…
Nehra explained how well the southpaw read the situation and took the game deep by taking calculative risks. On this, he stated:
"When Miller walked out to bat, there were already three wickets down and he could have easily decided to throw the kitchen sink at everything. However, he was smart enough to understand that he had to play a big knock and so gave himself time to settle."
The former Indian pacer added:
"Although they lost the game, credit to Miller for taking the game deep and keeping South Africa in the hunt till the end."
South Africa will hope to pick up a consolation win in the final T20I in Indore on Tuesday (October 4).
Can the Proteas avoid a 3-0 whitewash by winning the final T20I at Indore? Let us know in the comments.