By Admin 
South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma said that the World Test Championship win this June has changed his nation’s cricket profoundly.
“There’s been a lot more appreciation and love that’s been shown towards the team, the individuals within and also for my presence,” Bavuma said on Thursday, ahead of the first of two Tests against India, here.
“For us, some of the older guys who have been at ICC events and come up short, it has brought a little bit of relief but also a stronger belief that if you keep pushing, things are bound to happen. So confidence is probably the biggest word back home.”
It will be a pity that South Africa will not host the traditional Boxing Day and New Year’s Tests this season, depriving its fans of an opportunity to celebrate the team. That slot is now SA20’s, Cricket South Africa’s flagship T20 competition.
“It’s obviously quite sad for us players and fans. But this Test series [versus India] becomes our festive season. We’ll try and make the most of it.
“I think it is quite positive that we’ll be playing 14 Tests [in 2025-27], a little bit more than the last Test cycle. We’re still trying for a little bit more Tests. We’d love to play against teams like India, England and Australia. Maybe not just two but three Tests. [But] at this point, we’ll take what we have.”
While the WTC win will be acme, the 35-year-old stated that a series win in India for the first time since March 2000 can come a close second.
“It’s something that we haven’t been able to do for the longest of time. So that’s definitely up there in terms of ambition. And I think over the next two weeks, that’s what we’ll be pushing towards.”