South Africa captain Temba Bavuma created a special milestone during the second Test against India in Guwahati. Despite the pressure of leading the side after a defeat in the first Test, Bavuma played a confident innings and crossed 1000 Test runs as captain, becoming only the 9th South African skipper to achieve this landmark.
Bavuma Crosses 1000 Runs as Captain
When Temba Bavuma walked out to bat at No. 4 in Guwahati, he needed 31 runs to reach the 1000-run mark as Test captain. He reached the milestone with a classy boundary off Ravindra Jadeja in the 49th over.
With this achievement, Bavuma has now joined an elite list of South African captains, becoming:
- 9th SA captain to score 1000 Test runs
- Second-fastest South African captain to reach the milestone (in 20 innings)
Only Graeme Smith is ahead of him, who achieved this record in just 17 innings.
By reaching the 1000-run mark, Bavuma also went past South Africa former legendary all-rounder Shaun Pollock, who had scored 998 runs as Test captain.
Bavuma’s consistency as a leader has been commendable. So far, as captain, he has:
- 1000+ Test runs
- 3 Test centuries
- 6 half-centuries
- Average above 57, which is among the best for SA captains
His composed knock of 41 runs off 92 balls (5 fours) in Guwahati again showed his growing maturity and ability to handle responsibility.
South Africa Make Key Changes in Playing XI
In the Guwahati Test, both India and South Africa made important changes.
India’s Changes:
- Shubman Gill ruled out due to neck injury
- Nitish Kumar Reddy included
- Sai Sudarshan replaced Axar Patel
South Africa’s Changes:
- Senuran Muthusamy included
- Corbin Bosch left out
South Africa are already leading the series 1-0, and Bavuma’s milestone has added more confidence to the visiting camp.
Also see: Mitchell Starc Creates Ashes History
Temba Bavuma has always been admired for his discipline, work ethic, and commitment. Achieving this milestone as captain highlights his steady rise as a leader in Test cricket. With the series still open, South Africa will hope their skipper continues his form and helps them secure another overseas triumph.
