South Africa are standing on the edge of defeat in the fourth and final cricket Test against India, but their opener asserted that his teammates were determined to fight till the end and conclude their tour on a positive note
New Delhi: As South Africa blocked their way through Day Four at Delhi, Temba Bavuma's put in a patient effort at the top. However, the young batsman admitted that following the team's plans to defend wasn't very easy for his normally positive approach.
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Temba Bavuma. Pic/AFP
"To be honest, that was the toughest piece of batting I've ever had to do in my life. I always try to be positive, always look to score runs. I was put in a situation where scoring runs wasn't the priority, but the amount of time you batted out there was the key thing," he said.
In the first innings, South Africa were bowled out for 121 inside 50 overs. They've already batted 72 overs in their second essay and scored as many runs. That may give one the impression that it's become better for batting. However, Bavuma's comments suggest that it isn't the case.
'Not easy to bat'
He said, "(In) the first innings, the ball didn't turn much — it was quite slow. In the second innings, there were moments where it spun a bit quicker and bounced more, so there has been (a) deterioration in the wicket."
South Africa are up against a target of 481 and their defensive approach may have put a victory out of the question. A draw seems the best result for them. Bavuma said that batting 90 overs would be a tough ask. "It will be Day Five, so we expect (the) wicket to deteriorate even more.
"But we have the experience, we have the skills. Definitely whatever happens, we will go down fighting," Bavuma said. Bavuma feels Hashim Amla has settled in and they have a lot more batting. "We will definitely carry on the spirit, and try our best to salvage a draw out of this game," Bavuma said.
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