South African captain Temba Bavuma has said that the Indian team will not lose its spirit even without Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
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After a competitive Indian Premier League, the focus shifts to international cricket. India will face South Africa in a 5-match T20I series starting on 9 June 2022 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Cuttack, Visakhapatnam, Rajkot and Bengaluru will host the other four games.
KL Rahul will lead the Indian side in the series, whereas Rishabh Pant will be his deputy. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah are rested for the series, whereas Hardik Pandya is making his return after a successful IPL with Gujarat Titans.
Temba Bavuma lauds the spirit of Team India
South African skipper Temba Bavuma addressed a virtual press conference ahead of the T20I series. Bavuma said they are looking to finalize their team for the T20 World Cup in Australia. He said that the conditions are different in Australia, but any kind of competitive games are good for them.
Team India have rested their star players for the series, but Bavuma said that all these players are coming on the back of a brilliant IPL, and they are not looking at them as a “B” team. He insisted that they are very motivated and in a competitive mood ahead of the series.
“It’s obviously a new-look Indian side. A lot of guys who have done well in the recent IPL have been given opportunities. From us as a team we wouldn’t be looking at it any differently,” Bavuma said in the virtual conference.
“We don’t really see it as taking on a B’ side. So, going into the game, we’ll still be as motivated as ever. The competitiveness will be there.”
Temba Bavuma reiterated the fact that this Indian team has a lot of spirit and hunger, and even without Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the spirit of the side will not go down.
“The attitude, the mindset of the Indian team, in the last couple of years, has changed. It’s guys who play cricket hard, who play very competitively. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are not there but the Indian fighting spirit will still be there,” Bavuma added.
