Day 1 of the Boxing Day Test between India and South Africa at the Super Sport Park in Centurion saw the South African captain, Temba Bavuma, hobble off the field due to a hamstring injury. When critiquing Temba Bavuma’s level of fitness, former South African cricketer Herschelle Gibbs wasn’t holding back.
The small cricketer was hurt trying to block Virat Kohli’s drive in the twenty-first over of the day. Dean Elgar assumed the role of acting captain after Temba Bavuma departed the field. Among the fittest players of his era, Herschelle Gibbs attacked Temba Bavuma on social media, labeling the 33-year-old “unfit and overweight to play.” After a medical examination, Bavuma’s injury was determined to be a left hamstring strain. The Cape Town native has a significant role to play with the bat, so South African supporters will be hoping for a speedy recovery.
Upon starting as a proteas trainer in 2009, Gibbs wrote on his official ‘X’ (formerly known as Twitter) handle, “Ironic that the coach allows some players who are clearly unfit and overweight to play.”
🚨 UPDATE ON BAVUMA 🚨
The scans have reveal a left hamstring strain and he will undergo daily medical evaluations to determine his participation in the match pic.twitter.com/XHFwnlguEY
— Werner (@Werries_) December 26, 2023
KL Rahul’s hit aids India’s recovery, as Temba Bavuma injury problems began during the ODI World Cup.
Notably, Temba Bavuma made his cricket field comeback for the first time since South Africa’s devastating semifinal loss to Australia in the 2023 ODI World Cup. During that game, he was experiencing pain in his right hamstring. On November 10, during their league phase match against Afghanistan, Bavuma sustained that injury while playing. During India’s white-ball phase of their tour of South Africa, the right-hand batter was rested. During the opening Test of the series, his first day back on international action turned out to be very forgettable.
On the first day, India concluded with a score of 208/8 in 59 overs. In tough batting circumstances, KL Rahul held his wicket at 70 to prevent the tourists from being bowled out for a pitiful total. The Proteas’ standout performer was Kagiso Rabada, who claimed his 14th five-wicket haul in Test matches and 16th overall in international cricket.
India
