South Africa captain Temba Bavuma injured his hamstring on the opening day of the first Test against India in Centurion.
Centurion: South Africa will be led by Dean Elgar in the second Test against India that begins on January 3 at Newlands after regular captain Temba Bavuma was ruled out, head coach Shukri Conrad confirmed after the home side took a 1-0 lead in the series with a innings and 32-run victory in the first match on Thursday. Bavuma injured his hamstring on the opening day of the first Test while trying to save a boundary hit by India’s Virat Kohli.
Zubayr Hamza will replace Bavuma in the South African squad. Notably, the second Test will be Elgar final international game. “Temba is not a great physical state. He was ready to bat at every turn. We kept monitoring it. You put something out there, I don’t know if the opposition will pick up on it. Certain things are tactical. We felt the potential risk… there is a potential risk he could aggravate.
“He will have it assessed in two weeks time. He is definitely out for Cape Town. Zubayr Hamza will join the squad,” Conrad told media after the game. On Thursday, a Cricket South Africa statement said he will ‘undergo daily medical evaluations to determine’ if he will play any further role in the match.
Bavuma’s next assignment is with Sunrisers Eastern Cape in SA20 but that will depend on the state of his hamstring injury. For the unknown, Bavuma has suffered a left hamstring strain and not a tear. Due to his SA20 commitments, the Proteas captain will not be a part of two-Test series against New Zealand.
Earlier, having scored 245 in the first innings, the Indian batters managed only 131 in 34.1 overs in the second innings after South Africa managed a handsome 408 in its first essay. South Africa thus took an unassailable 1-0 lead in the two-match series and India’s dreams of winning a Test series in Rainbow Nation for the first time in 31 years lay in tatters. Only redemption now could be 1-1 draw if they managed to square the series during the New Year’s Test in Cape Town.
