Sunil Gavaskar explains technique behind Temba Bavuma's historic 55*
What's the story
In the first Test match against India, South African skipper Temba Bavuma stood tall amid a challenging pitch at Kolkata's Eden Gardens. He scored a crucial 55 runs off 136 balls, becoming the only batter to score over 50 in the match. His innings helped South Africa post a total of 153 runs. This gave India a challenging 124-run target. However, India failed to chase down the target and lost.
Expert analysis
Gavaskar praises Bavuma's technique and temperament
Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar praised Bavuma's technique in his column for Sportstar. He wrote, "Temba Bavuma showed that with his short back-lift and soft hands, keeping his bat speed just slow enough so that even if the ball took the edge, it would not carry to the close-in fielder." Gavaskar also highlighted Bavuma's patience and temperament during the innings.
Batting styles
Gavaskar contrasts modern batting with Bavuma's approach
Gavaskar contrasted Bavuma's traditional Test match batting with the modern approach. He said, "In essence, it was proper Test match batting and not what modern batters do the moment they find it is not a flat pitch and the ball is doing something off it." Bavuma showed exemplary resistance, having taken 136 balls for 55 runs (4 fours).
Pitch defense
Gavaskar defends pitch quality amid criticism
The quick conclusion of the Test match has sparked debates over the quality of the pitch. However, Gavaskar defended it in an interview with India Today. He compared this match to last year's Australia-India Test in Perth, where 17 wickets fell on the opening day. He questioned why there were no complaints about those pitches, but sarcasm was directed at the Indian ones.