SA vs IND: Best XI of the Test series

5. Temba Bavuma

Temba Bavuma was a silent assassin in the Proteas victory against India. The top-order batter was a tough cookie to crack for the Indian bowlers, being amongst the runs in each of the six innings he played this series. His solid defensive strokes and the ability to change gears played an instrumental role in South Africa’s fightback after being one down in the series.

Analyzing each of his six innings, Bavuma was the lone half centurion in a low scoring 197 in the first innings of the Boxing Day Test. He carried his form to the second innings and spent 133 minutes for his 35 just to find himself short of partners at the other end. The captain of Proteas limited overs format took an attacking route at the Wanderers scoring 51 at a strike rate of 85.00 falling victim to Shardul Thakur who turned to be the breakthrough bowler for the Indians.

Along with captain Elgar, he assisted and was amidst the action as South Africa emerged victorious in the second Test. The third Test went in a similar fashion as he scored the winning runs for SA. Bavuma ended up as one of the biggest gainers in the ICC Test rankings, jumping 16 steps following his contributions in the first Test. He was one of the players who enjoyed the time in the middle and therefore gets added to the combined XI in the recently concluded Test series.