IND vs SA | ODI series win against India would give us a lot of confidence, says Temba Bavuma
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma has said that an ODI series win against India will give his team a lot of confidence going into future matches. India toured South Africa for the 2018 tour when they won the ODI series by 5-1 registering their first ODI series win over the Rainbow Nation.
India lost the three-match Test series against South Africa by 2-1 and their wait for a maiden Test series win in South Africa continues at least till the next series. All eyes are now set for the ODI series starting from January 19. Last time, when India toured South Africa in 2018, they won the ODI series by a scoreline of 5-1. The Indian team will now look to replicate their previous performance and end the tour on a winning note.Â
Bavuma explained that South Africa wants to establish their own style of play and implement their strategy to good effect. He added that an ODI series win against India will give his team a lot of confidence.Â
"We will have to get things right in the next ODI series against India. I'm not too worried about what happened in that 2018 series. I'm more concerned about establishing our own style of play and implementing our strategy to good effect.
"An ODI series win against India would give us a helluva lot of confidence, and some momentum ahead of the games to follow," Bavuma was quoted as saying by 'Daily Maverick'.
South Africa had performed well in the 2021 T20 World Cup, winning four matches out of the five in the group stage. However, the Proteas missed out on the semi-finals on the basis of net run-rate. Bavuma feels that South Africa’s performance in the tournament changed the perception about South Africa’s white-ball squad.Â
"Perceptions are changing about this South African white-ball team. In the past, it was said that we lacked the ability to take on spin and that we struggled in overseas conditions. I feel like we proved a lot of people wrong at the T20 World Cup.
"We've just got to keep building towards that next T20 World Cup in Australia, which will require another shift in mindset."
He also added that the ODI team should take heart from what the T20I side has accomplished in recent times.Â
"Perhaps we should take heart from what the T20 side has accomplished in recent times. That team didn't place much emphasis on results, but rather on the process. We really came to grips with how we wanted to play. There was a lot of energy and intensity, especially with regard to our fielding,” he concluded.Â
"Then we start to win consistently. Since the beginning of the West Indies series last June, we've won 13 out of 16 T20s. It's something we want to replicate across the formats. If we bring the same energy to our ODI approach, we will build more confidence and momentum, and the big results will come."Â