"Similar To MS Dhoni": Temba Bavuma's Test Captaincy Praised By South Africa Great
Temba Bavuma has become the captain to register the most victories without losing a single game in Test cricket.
- AB de Villiers revealed he was initially not convinced when Temba Bavuma was named South Africa Test captain
- "He has surprised all of us. I even was hesitant to say I was confident about the call," he said
- "I think it was similar to MS Dhoni back in the day," de Villiers said, rating Bavuma's captaincy
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma continues his terrific leadership record in Test cricket. Under his captaincy, the Proteas clean swept India 2-0 on the latter's home soil. Bavuma has now recorded 11 wins in 12 matches as skipper in the format, with one game ending in a draw. The wins under him also include the one in the World Test Championship final against Australia in London last year. Bavuma has become the captain to register the most victories without losing a single game in Test cricket. South Africa legend AB de Villiers heaped praise on the star's captaincy, drawing similarities with that of MS Dhoni.
De Villiers was quite honest in admitting that he was not much convinced when Bavuma was handed the Test captaincy of South Africa, but the latter surprised him with his performance.
"He has surprised all of us. I've been in connection with my friends (about it) for the first few years that he was named captain, I even was hesitant to say I was confident about the call. Maybe it comes back to the old phrase: 'You can't judge a book by its cover'," de Villiers said on a YouTube show with former India spinner R Ashwin.
"He doesn't look like this big Graeme Smith with the aura and intimidating presence. Temba is a small, soft-spoken guy; he hardly ever raises his voice. It just shows you that different styles of captaincy can be successful.
"I think it was similar to MS Dhoni back in the day. I hardly ever heard his voice. He was calm, didn't speak much, but when he did, people listened. I think it might be a similar case with Temba. He earns respect by being calm. It's absolutely incredible. He has taken me aback with the success he has achieved," he added.
The Proteas beat India by 30 runs at Eden Gardens in Kolkata and followed it up with a much better show at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. The visitors handed India a 408-run defeat to register a 2-0 sweep. This saw the Proteas register their first Test series win in India since 2000.
AB de Villiers
MS Dhoni
India Cricket Team
South Africa Cricket Team