The history of cricket is often built by players whose height is less, but whose spirit soars above the skies. Temba Bavuma is part of that rare group—short in stature, but with a heart that stays steady under the heaviest pressures. At 5 feet 4 inches, this cricketer has taught the world that height might not dictate the cheers, but courage can write records.
On Sunday at Eden Gardens, South Africa stood at a juncture against India on the third day where both bravery and composure were required. These two qualities are the true hallmark of Captain Bavuma.
India needed just 47 runs to win, with seven wickets in hand, facing spinners that had troubled South Africa before. In such tense moments, Bavuma made a decision that few other captains would dare. He handed the ball to Keshav Maharaj, and this spin-changing decision turned the game’s tide.
For four balls, it seemed this decision was backfiring. Axar Patel’s boundaries sent South African hearts racing. But with the fifth ball floating in the air, another story was ready to be penned. Bavuma sprinted from midwicket nearly to long-on, and for a moment it seemed he had gone too far ahead. The ball nearly passed him, but looking back, as he put it himself, his "small hands" grasped that catch. In that single moment, the match, momentum, and belief swung back to South Africa.
Batting with class—earning respect from circumstances
After a mere 3-run outing in the first innings, Bavuma batted unbeaten at 55 in the second—an innings that became the match's only complete template. Out of 136 balls, 59 were played defensively, maintaining calm amidst uncertain bounce and sharp turns. This art is the hallmark of the greatest batsmen.
The trajectory of form has only risen
Bavuma's form is so stable and luminous that his graph continues to rise over the last four years. In Test cricket, his average improves each year:
2021: 53.60
2022: 40.07
2023: 50.40
2024: 55.88
2025: 60.50
A batsman who doesn’t just score runs but becomes the resilience of the team. Under Bavuma's captaincy, he is among the most special names in history. South Africa played 11 Tests under his leadership, winning 10, one draw, and not a single loss. These records illustrate the high impact of this player of small stature.
No response to captaincy stats
In cricket history, only England’s Percy Chapman had nine wins in his first 10 Tests as a captain. Bavuma has equaled and surpassed this with his 10th win in his 11th Test, propelling past Chapman.
This achievement is even greater remembering he led South Africa to a WTC final victory against a team as formidable as Australia.
In Eden Gardens, the applause from nearly 40,000 spectators, that catch, that innings, that leadership—it’s more than just a match story. It’s the journey of a player who has left his mark on the world at every step.
The Eden crowd, usually roaring for the blue jerseys, stood up to applaud Bavuma's fifty. This wasn't merely respect for a foreign player—it was acceptance. Just on this ground in the 2023 World Cup, he bore the weight of criticism. Now, the same crowd honored him.
