South Africa captain Temba Bavuma believes that facing an Indian team led by the experienced duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma is far from unfamiliar territory for the Proteas. Still, he admitted that the presence of the two modern greats undoubtedly strengthens the Indian lineup. In the opening ODI of the three-match series in Ranchi, Indian batter Virat Kohli anchored the innings with a masterful 52nd ODI century, while Rohit Sharma smashed a brilliant 57.
“The inclusion of those two guys that does bolster the team. Like we said at the start of the series, these are two guys who have a lot of experience and a lot of skill, and that can only benefit the team. It is not something that we are not aware of,” Bavuma said at the press conference ahead of the 2nd ODI.
“We played against Rohit… I think it was in 2007, the T20 World Cup; I was still in school then. I mean, these guys have been around, so there is nothing new. These are world-class players,” Bavuma said.
“Nothing new, we have come across it. We have been on the bad end of it. But we have also had good times against them. It all just makes the series a lot more exciting,” he said.
Bavuma also showered praise on all-rounder Marco Jansen, who was highly effective with both bat and ball in the first game.
"From an all-rounder point of view, I don't know where the rankings sit. I am sure Marco Jansen, in any one of the formats, will definitely be in a top 10. I think his contributions with bat (or) with the ball (and) sometimes even both, they have been immense to our success. He is still a young guy, but he has had a lot of international cricket that is under his belt. He is only growing into his own and becoming a lot more comfortable under his skin," Bavuma said.
The second ODI between India and South Africa will be held on Wednesday in Raipur.