SA captain Bavuma opens up about David Miller’s promotion
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma is open to talking with David Miller regarding his batting position in T20Is as the team prepares to tour India this June for five-match T20Is.
David Miller’s inconsistency for South Africa has always been a concern as the batter had struggled with his form in recent years. However, this IPL has changed things for the middle-order batter. Playing for Gujarat Titans, Miller had an outstanding season where he ended as the team’s leading run-scorer, helping them to lift the trophy in their inaugural edition. Miller scored 481 with the best average in the competition of 68.71 at a strike rate of 143.
Talking about Miller, Bavuma told reporters on Tuesday that Miller’s feelings of insecurity are gone now.
“He has performed exceedingly well in IPL. Whatever feelings of insecurity he had are gone now,” Bavuma told.
When asked about his batting position, Bavuma added that he is an important member of the group and they will have a conversation about it.
“We will have a conversation. He is an important member of the team. If he feels he can add more value higher up the order, it is a conversation to have,” he added.
Bavuma spoke about how the team will use the upcoming T20I series to work things out in the team before the upcoming World Cup.
“The important thing is to prepare for the World Cup,” Bavuma added. “The guys need to be in a competitive space. And the India series will be an important part of the competitive process, even if the conditions will be different in Australia.”
With a lot of games coming up, Bavuma mentioned the importance of rotation policy in the team as they don’t want to burn out anyone.
“We haven’t got together as a team but the rest of the (non-IPL players) have had good sessions. We will arrive a bit early to get familiarised.
“With multiple formats (this season), it will be important to manage the workload, especially the bowlers.”
South Africa will tour India for five-match T20I series starting from June 9. The first match will take place in Delhi. The other T20Is will be played in Cuttack, Vizag, Rajkot, and Bengaluru respectively.
India have rested some of their top players including Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. KL Rahul will lead the team. All-rounder Hardik Pandya is back into the side along with Dinesh Karthik. The bowlers Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik are included in the squad after their impressive IPL season.
South Africa, on the other hand, have included youngster Tristan Stubbs, thanks to his excellent run in the domestic season this year.
IND vs SA Squads
India: KL Rahul (Capt), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant(VC) (wk), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Y Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, R Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (captain), Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Marco Jansen.