Rhodes praises Bavuma’s leadership for the rejuvenation of South Africa
South Africa’s growth in the world of long form cricket can be described as anything but ordinary. Their growth has been steady and a memorandum of continuous persistence. Their resurgence in Test cricket hasn’t been a fluke, for them it was more like a rollercoaster ride. South African cricket had been hinting at a new dawn for a while. A finals appearance in the 2024 T20 World Cup, another in the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup, and a strong semifinal run in the 2023 ODI World Cup all suggested that something was shifting. For years, the “chokers” label clung stubbornly to the Proteas, shaping every discussion around them. But under Temba Bavuma’s calm and resilient leadership changed its course. South Africa didn’t just win matches—they rewrote their identity. Their first-ever World Test Championship triumph in the 2023–2025 cycle, sealed with a memorable win over Australia, felt like a collective exhale. While talking to Sports Today, former South African star Jonty Rhodes, reflecting the national team’s comeback in the international cricket, stated, “Twenty years ago, when I was still playing cricket, if we travelled to India, we’d arrive with our nerves already shot,” Rhodes recalled. “We’d be wondering how much the ball would spin past the bat, feeling uncomfortable, and honestly not believing we could take 20 wickets.” Rhodes believes the toughest hurdle for South Africa in the subcontinent was never skill—it was the psychological barrier they carried with them. “Now, that’s the key difference with this South African team,” he said. “Sure, they struggle with the bat, scoring 150s or even less, but having 30 more runs on a turning surface in India shows the quality of our spin bowling and the shift in mindset.” He further gave much credit to Bavuma’s leadership, “Arriving here believing you can compete with India — a great side at home — says a lot about Temba Bavuma’s captaincy,” he added. “It’s a quiet captaincy. It’s not a team buzzing with superstars; they’re just guys who go out and do the job. And on difficult surfaces, it’s often those teams that pull together that come out victorious.” South Africa’s growth in the world of long form cricket can be described as anything but ordinary. Their growth has been steady and a memorandum of continuous persistence. Their resurgence in Test cricket hasn’t been a fluke, for them it was more like a rollercoaster ride. South African cricket had been hinting at a new dawn for a while. A finals appearance in the 2024 T20 World Cup, another in the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup, and a strong semifinal run in the 2023 ODI World Cup all suggested that something was shifting. For years, the “chokers” label clung stubbornly to the Proteas, shaping every discussion around them. But under Temba Bavuma’s calm and resilient leadership changed its course. South Africa didn’t just win matches—they rewrote their identity. Their first-ever World Test Championship triumph in the 2023–2025 cycle, sealed with a memorable win over Australia, felt like a collective exhale. He further gave much credit to Bavuma’s leadership, “Arriving here believing you can compete with India — a great side at home — says a lot about Temba Bavuma’s captaincy,” he added. “It’s a quiet captaincy. It’s not a team buzzing with superstars; they’re just guys who go out and do the job. And on difficult surfaces, it’s often those teams that pull together that come out victorious.” The story of South Africa is about resilience, growth, steady leadership and unstoppable force.
Rishabh Pant may return to ODIs as India captain against South Africa
India cricket team star Rishabh Pant’s return to One Day International seems luminous as the wicketkeeper-batsman could be selected as the captain of India’s ODI series against South Africa. Pant participated in a One Day International last in August 2024. He is currently captaining the Indian team in the ongoing 2nd Test in Guwahati in the absence of Shubman Gill. According to a report from The Week, the BCCI top brass does not seem to be in a hurry to bring Shubman Gill back into action after the captain is ruled out of the ongoing second Test due to a severe neck injury he suffered in the first Test at the Eden Gardens. Instead, Pant, who took over the reins of the Test team, is expected to continue as captain for the ODI series as well. It is pertinent to point out that while other seniors like KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma can lead the side. Shreyas Iyer was the vice-captain, but he is too unlikely to be a part of the series, leading to the selectors and the management zeroing in on Pant to lead the side in the ODIs as well. The report states that since Gill is an integral part of the T-20I set-up as well, the management does not want to take any chances, given that he is a certain part of India’s XI in the upcoming T-20 World Cup 2026. In fact, the Punjab batsman might as well skip the ODI series to be fit for the T20Is vs SA that will take place between 9th and 19th December. As for Pant, he last featured in an ODI way back in August 2024 against Sri Lanka. Since then, he has been ruled out of the 50-over and T-20Is format, with Rahul being picked as the first-choice keeper-batter in ODIs.
India to train in Kolkata on Tuesday, leave for Guwahati without Shubman Gill on Wednesday
The Indian cricket team will have its first training session on Tuesday at the Eden Gardens after the defeat at the hands of South Africa in the first Test. The hosts, who were without the services of team captain Shubman Gill for 3 innings, were handed a 30-run defeat by South Africa, ending their unbeaten streak in Tests in Kolkata. The 2nd Test will be played in Guwahati from 22nd November onwards. According to ESPNCricinfo reports, Team India will have a training session at the Eden Gardens on Tuesday. Following that, the team will travel to Guwahati on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Gill – who was discharged from the hospital on Sunday evening – will neither be part of the training session nor travel with the team. The report suggests that since commercial air travel is not recommended for people with neck issues, Gill is unlikely to travel with the team on the same day. After facing just 3 deliveries in the 1st innings, Gill was forced to retire hurt following a sweep shot. The BCCI later said in a statement that he had suffered a neck spasm and was ruled out for the remainder of the 1st Test. Subsequently, the Indian captain was admitted to a hospital and was closely monitored by Dr Dinesh Pardiwala. “Captain Shubman Gill had a neck injury on the second day of the Test against South Africa in Kolkata. He was taken to the hospital for examination after the end of the day’s play. He is currently under observation in the hospital. He will take no further part in the Test match. He will continue to be monitored by the BCCI medical team,”BCCI had said in a statement on 16th November.
Harbhajan Singh slams Eden pitch, says pathetic after India’s loss to South Africa
Harbhajan Singh, a former Indian spinner who famously acquired 13 wickets at the Eden Gardens in India’s iconic Test triumph against Australia in 2001, slammed the pitch after India conceded a 30-run victory at the Eden Gardens against South Africa on Sunday, with two more days left. South Africa were bundled out for 153 on the third morning, setting a target of only 123 for India. But as the pitch had already broken on several spots, India’s poor chase failed to reach the target, collapsing to 93 in their second innings. This was India’s loss after 13 years at the Eden Gardens and they also booked their place in the lowest five defeats at this venue. Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel, “This pitch is not at all fit for cricket’s longest format. The pitch has developed such a large number of spots on the surface that the spinners of both teams who bowled and scalped wickets did not even know what would happen after a ball was delivered.” “This pitch is like, you pitch here, and the ball will turn and go elsewhere. I am sure that even the top-class batsmen like Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma would have struggled to survive on this surface. You can see the reflection where Temba Bavuma’s unbeaten 55 is the highest run scored on this pitch.” Harbhajan added, saying, “It has been going on for years in our country. The game is being played on completely under-prepared pitches. Test cricket does not seem to have any value nowadays, and this pitch at the Eden Gardens is not acceptable. It is pathetic.”
Gill says adjusting to different formats of games depends more on psychological flexibility than physical ability
Ahead of the first test against South Africa at the Eden Gardens, starting from Friday, India skipper Shubman Gill was asked in the media conference on Thursday at the Eden Gardens that how he is being able to manage the character of the game’s different formats while switching from the ‘white-ball’ cricket to the ‘red-ball’ Test cricket. “I think in 4-5 days of turnaround, coming from another country and playing different formats is not easy. It’s more mental than showing physical ability. “I am still trying to figure out how to manage it. I think the workload, starting from the Asia Cup, we have been playing kind of back-to-back, travelling to different countries, switching between formats within 4 to 5 days. So, I am also trying to figure out what gives me the best chance to be able to perform and succeed in all those formats that I am going to play. But the challenge is definitely more mental than physical. Bodily, I feel fine. There’s obviously a little bit of jet lag when you are coming from Australia. Apart from that, physically, I feel completely fine. It’s a bit challenging at times because the requirements for different formats in different places of the world are different, so I think it’s a good challenge and a good learning curve for me, Gill explained in the media conference. Additionally, returning from Australia to India, and the adjustment to the climate is not as easy as the captain added, “There’s a good amount of time difference between India and Australia. So, the body takes a bit of time to get used to it. Then, after coming here, there’s a different challenge of playing Test cricket in India as compared to playing white-ball cricket in Australia. Definitely, it’s a bit challenging mentally and physically. But as a professional cricketer, it’s about how you tackle these things.” The 26-year-old has been playing and juggling the three formats on a consistent basis. Gill played the England series from June to August. He was then announced as deputy for T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav for the Asia Cup in the UAE, which went on from September 9-28. There was little rest for the weary skipper, however, with Gill then coming back to India to lead in the 2-match West Indies series, which went on from October 2-October 14. After the Windies series, Gill had to fly in for a white-ball tour to Australia, consisting of 3 ODIs and 5 T20Is, which started on October 19 and ended on November 8. That makes it 6 months on the road where Gill has played 7 Tests, 12 T20Is, and 3 50-over matches. With the South Africa series starting on November 14 and its associated preparations, that doesn’t afford Gill much of a turnaround time. However, he also did not hesitate to reveal that playing at the Eden Gardens has always been homely for him. Eden Gardens was the ground that shaped his formative years when he burst onto the scene for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL in 2018 after a successful U-19 World Cup campaign in the same year. It’s, however, ironic that since becoming captain of the India Test and ODI teams, Gill’s concept of ‘home’ has been basically living out of a suitcase.
Rishabh returns against South Africa-A: Shami shown the door!
Rishabh Pant is returning to mainstream cricket after July. Before the series between India and South Africa, he was chosen as the captain of the India-A squad against South Africa-A for two four-day matches, scheduled to start on 30th October. So, India’s Test vice-captain will be missing the Ranji Trophy. The wicketkeeper-batsman was ruled out of the game for three months with a broken foot, which forced him to miss the Asia Cup, Test series against West Indies, and the Australia tour. South Africa Test and ODI captain Temba Bavuma will also feature in the 2nd four-day match ahead of the India-South Africa Test series. Bavuma missed out on the Pakistan tour as he was sidelined with an injury. India will also play three One-Day matches against South Africa-A, starting 13th November. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s participation in the matches has not yet been confirmed. The BCCI has not yet announced the squad for those three One-Day matches yet. The 1st four-day match will have young players from India’s Test squad, including Sai Sudharsan and Devdutt Padikkal. It is also an opportunity for Rajat Patidar to impress as he is eying a Test comeback on the back of scintillating red-ball form. However, one surprising omission is of Sarfaraz Khan, who continues to be absent since the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier this year. While Rishabh Pant will continue to lead the squad in the 2nd match, he will have India’s Test regulars. KL Rahul, Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj, who are not in India’s T20I squad for the Australia tour, will play the 2nd match against South Africa A. Significantly, Mohammed Shami continues to be neglected by the BCCI selection committee. It seems that the selectors are not willing to bring him back to at least Test cricket. Despite proving fitness, and having shown his class in Bengal’s Ranji Trophy opening match against Uttarakhand, Mohammed Shami has not found a place in the India-A squad for South Africa-A series. He picked up 7 wickets for Bengal against Uttarakhand. Shami recently made headlines when he countered BCCI chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar’s, claims about his fitness. Agarkar said he was not fit ahead of Asia Cup. He was also not considered for the ODIs against Australia. However, his absence in the India-A series raises the question of whether selectors have planned to show him the door permanently!
Wiaan Mulder reveals Brian Lara’s conversation after declaring on an unbeaten 367
Despite a blockbuster debut as South Africa Test captain, Wiaan Mulder completed a thumping victory against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo with perhaps as many questions and plaudits after declaring the innings while batting on a mammoth 367 not out in the first innings. Anticipation was building towards a potential world record-breaking moment post Lunch on Day 2 as Mulder stood only 34 runs away from surpassing Brian Lara’s unbeaten 400, still the only quadruple Test century, against England in 2004. Several former cricketers and experts lamented Mulder’s decision to declare the innings before the resumption of play, as South Africa eventually went on to complete a comfortable innings and 236-run victory within three days. The 27-year-old Mulder later revealed that Lara had told him he should have taken the chance to shoot for the summit. “Now that things have settled a little bit, I have chatted a little bit to Brian Lara…He said to me I’m creating my legacy, and I should have gone for it. He said records are there to be broken and he wishes that if I’m ever in that position again, I actually go and score more than what he had,” Mulder told SuperSport. Talking about his decision to declare on 367, Mulder had said that he had committed to it out of respect for Lara’s stature in the game. “Firstly, I thought we had enough and we needed to bowl. Secondly, Brian Lara is a legend. For someone of that stature to keep that record is deserved. If I get the chance to do it again, I’d do it exactly the same way,” Mulder had said in a post-match interaction.
Bangladesh, South Africa cricketers get embroiled in physical altercation!
An unsightly incident happened on the cricket field in an Emerging Teams’ four-day match between Bangladesh and South Africa in Dhaka. With Bangladesh batting and South Africa bowling, players of both teams got involved in a heated altercation, leading to a brawl in the middle of the pitch. The incident was triggered after an exchange between 22-year-old Bangladesh batter Ripon Mondol and 29-year-old Proteas pacer Tshepo Ntuli. The fight was soon joined by other players of the team. No immediate action has been taken yet, but the umpires are set to file an official report before sanctions are imposed. As per a report by ESPNcricinfo, Ripon had initially smashed a straight six off Ntuli’s bowling, leading to an exchange of glares between the bowler and the batter. However, after that, as Ripon moved towards his batting partner, Ntuli charged towards the Bangladesh batter. The two players were at first involved in a shove, which quickly turned into a bigger brawl. Ntuli pulled Ripon’s helmet on multiple occasions, despite the attempted interference of umpire Kamruzzaman. Some of the on-looking South African players also appeared to enter the fight. It is unclear whether there had been any verbal exchange between the two prior which may have preceded the heated altercation. Three balls after the incident, Ntuli threw the ball back at Ripon after bowling it, which the Bangladesh batter fended off. “This is extreme, this is unacceptable. Normally we see verbal altercations in a cricket field but we don’t often see a fight. Ntuli struck Ripon’s helmet at one point,” Nabil Kaiser, one of the on-air commentators, said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo. As per the report, the match referee will submit reports of the incident to both the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and Cricket South Africa (CSA), before official action is taken.
