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Temba Bavuma summons inner Sachin Tendulkar to save South Africa in Gqeberha

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Temba Bavuma (Source: X/@ICC)

Temba Bavuma (Source: X/@ICC)

Rishabh Beniwal

Rishabh Beniwal

Published - 21 Oct 2026, 03:15 PM Read time - 6 mins

“Physically diminutive, but colossal in standing”

That’s how former Zimbabwe cricketer Mpumelelo Mbangwa described Temba Bavuma as he took off the helmet to celebrate his fifth Test century and first against Australia at St George's Park, Gqeberha. It was an innings of resilience, composure and tenacity against the best bowling attack in the world as the South Africa captain steered his team from a precarious position to pure domination in the ongoing second Test.

Bavuma walked to the crease under the gloomy skies on Day 1 facing a hat-trick ball from a menacing Scott Boland, who seemed to be in a hurry to wrap up the Proteas’ innings. An inside edge onto his pad saved Bavuma from a golden duck dismissal as Boland welcomed him with a nip-backer.

Facing the most formidable pace quartet in the world, Bavuma couldn’t get his feet moving for the initial few deliveries as it took him nine balls to get off the mark, that too with an outside edge which flew past gully.

It wasn’t until Day 2 that the Proteas captain finally looked at ease, unleashing a pristine drive against Boland to collect his second boundary in the very first over of the day.

Inspiration from Sachin Tendulkar

However, the misery only became gargantuan as wickets continued to tumble from one end, leaving the hosts completely down in the doldrums at 110/6. From there, captain Bavuma took it upon himself to steer his team to safe shores with the series on the line.

Standing at five foot three inches tall at the crease, the Proteas captain doesn’t paint a fearsome picture as bowlers run in full tilt to get rid of him. However, being well-aware of his limitations, Bavuma drew inspiration from the legendary Sachin Tendulkar to produce the magnum opus of his career (179 off 334) at the very place he made his debut.

“Yeah, I mean, I try to emulate my technique to his (Sachin Tendulkar’s). I mean, I'm obviously not a big guy. I'm not really going to get any big strides in. I try to be efficient in terms of my movement. Sometimes it gets me into trouble. But I think for me, that's generally what works. I try to play the ball as close to my body as possible. Yeah, kind of hope that that's going to work,” said Bavuma after the end of the day’s play.

With South Africa staring down the barrel, Bavuma found a great partner in Marco Jansen (85 off 100) and the duo complemented each other beautifully. While the Proteas skipper held fort at one end, Jansen swung his willow to counterattack, and the duo forged a 132-run golden stand for the seventh wicket.  

Captain Bavuma's prolific run

Earlier in 2023, in just his second Test as captain, Bavuma had crafted a masterful 172 against West Indies in Johannesburg, when the second-highest score from his team was 42. The innings laid down the marker for the Proteas skipper as runs began to follow him like never before after undertaking leadership.

Three out of Bavuma’s four Test centuries had come after he undertook captaincy, and he added another ton to his tally in Gqeberha, seeing his team in dire straits. Not many relish the added responsibility quite like Bavuma, who’s now made a habit of bailing his team out of trouble, whether on a spinning minefield in Kolkata or the spicy wicket of Gqeberha.

“Yeah, definitely one of my better ones. I think looking at the situation of the game, and I think personally as well, I found myself a lot in those type of situations, coming in early, trying to manage myself to kind of scramble through to a 50 or 60, but I think what was nice was my ability just to take it even further and make it count,” said Bavuma at the end of the day’s play.

 

Matches

Innings

Runs

Average

100s

50s

Highest

Not as Captain

54

93

2797

34.53

1

20

102*

As Captain

14

24

1196

54.36

4

6

179

After Jansen, Bavuma had a defiant Simon Harmer (82) to keep him company at the crease. Another 183-run union for the eighth wicket propelled South Africa’s score to 425/9, which seemed too far-fetched a dream at one point. 

Bavuma's emboldened fighting spirit shines through

However, it was only possible due to the calming force of Bavuma, who fought through the chaos that ensued in the Proteas' batting lineup. After all, it was the one thing that he had done all his life, right from trying to rise through the ranks in the South African cricket ecosystem, to proving that he belonged at the international level.

‘Fighting’ came naturally to Bavuma. He had done it all through his career against the racial stereotype, critics, trolls and the notion that ‘blacks can’t bat.’ So when he walked out with the willow in his hand on Day 1 with South Africa reeling at 12/2, one thing was certain: the five-foot-three-inch lad would look the towering Australian speedsters in the eye and even wage a war if his team needed it.

Not many have the knack for facing adversity head-on, but the diminutive Temba Bavuma knows how to stand tall when South Africa requires it the most.