14/06/2025
I’ve never seen a cricketer who had to face so much mockery and neglect — both from opponents and even from his own teammates — just because he made it into the team through a reservation category.
Yet, in every difficult situation, the way Bavuma carried himself on the field has always amazed us.
We’ve seen Dhoni, whom the cricket world hails as “Captain Cool”, lose his calm and erupt in anger under pressure.
Even the usually smiling face of Villiers has shown sparks of rage on the field at times.
But Bavuma — as a cricketer, as a captain — has never once shown a trace of frustration or bitterness, even when wiped away tears behind the sunglasses right there on the field.
Bavuma’s every move on the field was more graceful than the calmest of natures.
It wasn’t the taunts of opponents that would’ve hurt him the most — it was the disregard from his own teammates that likely left the deepest scars.
And now, as the World Test Championship crown arrives in the history shelf of South African cricket,
The cricketing world will remember him — not just as a captain — but as a symbol of hope, of unbroken spirit, and the inspiration behind South Africa’s never-dying cricketing fight.
The Real Captain Cool – Temba Bhavana
