Start:
Location:
South Africa had a memorable Test tour of India last month, where they whitewashed India 2-0. Under the leadership of Temba Bavuma, the Proteas ended a 25-year wait to win in the longest format on Indian soil before losing both ODIs and T20Is.
It was the Kolkata Test when the Indian duo called Bavuma a dwarf, which was clearly heard over the stump mic. While batting coach Ashwell Prince and Shukri Conrad didn’t pay much heed to it while addressing the pressers, Bavuma himself wasn’t aware of the entire matter due to the language barrier. He only got to know when Bumrah and Pant apologized to him in Guwahati after South Africa’s 408-run win.
In his column for ESPN Cricinfo, Bavuma revealed that he received an apology from Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant for the offensive comment.
“I know from my side, there was an incident where they said something in their language about me. At the end of the day, two senior players, Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah, came and apologised," Bavuma wrote in a column for ‘ESPNCricinfo’.
“When the apology was made, I was in the dark about what it was about. I hadn’t heard it at the time, and I needed to check in with our media manager about it. What happens on the field stays on the field, but you don’t forget what is said. You use it as fuel and motivation, but there are no grudges per se," he added.
Bavuma said he expected a tough series in India, and it is exactly what his team encountered.