[Watch] South Africa captain Temba Bavuma walks off after limping on the field due to injury in IND vs SA 1st Test
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma injured himself while fielding on Day 1 of the opening Test against India at the SuperSport Park in Centurion on Tuesday, December 26.
The injury took place in the 20th over of India's first innings bowled by Marco Jansen. The pacer bowled a full-length ball on off-stump. Virat Kohli carved it through extra cover on the drive. The right-handed batter hit it into the ground and Bavuma at mid-off chased it.
The Proteas skipper, however, damaged his hamstring while running to prevent the boundary. He was seen limping afterwards and walked off the field with a disappointed look.
Watch the video below:
For the unversed, Bavuma recently played in the 2023 World Cup despite his hamstring injury. The right-handed batter managed just 145 runs in eight ODIs at an average of 18.12. He, however, led South Africa to the semifinals. Following his injury, Bavuma was rested for the recently concluded T20I and ODI series against India.
The Proteas would hope that the injury is not serious, otherwise they will miss out on captaincy and batting services.
Bavuma has amassed 373 runs in seven Tests against India at an average of 33.91, including two half-centuries.
Dean Elgar takes charge as Temba Bavuma walks off the field
Former South Africa captain Dean Elgar, who is set to retire after the conclusion of the two-match Test series against India, took over the captaincy duties as skipper Temba Bavuma walked off the field during the first session on Day 1. He previously led the Proteas to a 2-1 Test series win against India during the 2021-22 tour.
Opting to field, the Proteas made a stunning start against India in the Boxing Day Test. The hosts reduced India to 24-3 in the first hour.
Kagiso Rabada provided the first breakthrough for the Proteas as India captain Rohit Sharma was caught at fine leg. Nandre Burger then sent back Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill, both caught behind by wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne.
At the time of writing, India were 91/3 at Lunch, with Virat Kohli (33 runs off 47 balls) and Shreyas Iyer (31 off 46 deliveries) at the crease.
Follow the IND vs SA 1st Test live score and updates here.