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Exactly two years after an inglorious World Cup exit<\/a>, Temba Bavuma found redemption at the Eden Gardens<\/a>.<\/p>\n Chapter One: 2023 <\/p>\n On that fateful night, the consensus was that Bavuma had erred in his decision. He batted first after rain had delayed the start, and Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc had South Africa at 24-4. South Africa recovered, but to only 212, a total that seemed puny when Australia blazed away to 60-0 in six overs.<\/p>\n Not for the first time, however, South Africa had hit back. Australia still needed 20 when they were seven down, with only Adam Zampa and Hazlewood left to bat. A wicket there might have rewritten the fortunes of the World Cup.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, a bruised heel restricted Kagiso Rabada to six overs. Gerald Coetzee did not give up and neither did the packed house in the cauldron of Eden Gardens, but it was not to be. Pat Cummins and Starc got the runs. \u201cOur character came through. It was a dogfight,\u201d Bavuma said at the post-match presentations. He was not exaggerating.<\/p>\n A semi-final exit was not new to South Africa, but the most of the venom on social media was directed to Bavuma<\/a>. His race<\/a> became an inevitable point in these jibes. The word \u201cquota\u201d came up again and again<\/a>.<\/p>\n The comments were characteristic in lack of taste and nuance. Bavuma had broken barriers like few South African Black cricketers before him. \u201cThere\u2019s a stereotype that black players should be bowlers,\u201d international cricketer Sinethemba Qeshile had once explained<\/a>. \u201cThe first thing we\u2019re taught is how to bowl. Not a lot of guys actually get taught how to carry a bat until much later.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Bavuma had not initially grasped the significance of him becoming the first Black man to score a Test hundred for South Africa, at Cape Town in 2016\/17. \u201cI didn\u2019t understand it at the beginning,\u201d he told the Wisden Cricket Monthly. \u201cBut you can\u2019t ignore our past or the sacrifices that certain people made so that people like myself can have the opportunities that we enjoy today.\u201d<\/p>\n The next significant moment came at Centurion in 2022\/23, when Bavuma became South Africa\u2019s first Black captain. At the World Test Championship final in 2025, he led South Africa to their first senior global title since 1998.<\/p>\n Thus, a lot had changed when Bavuma returned to the Eden Gardens.<\/p>\n Chapter two: 2025 <\/p>\n South Africa were two wickets away from a win. India needed 47, but against Keshav Maharaj, the match-up was with Axar Patel, one of India\u2019s best players of spin. Axar smashed a four and two sixes before attempting an encore \u2026 but was unable to time it.<\/p>\n Bavuma sprinted and sprinted before making a difficult catch look easy. The next ball, South Africa won the Test. \u201cI was able to grab it with my small hands,\u201d the captain underplayed the \u201ccrucial moment\u201d.<\/p>\n It was characteristic of the man who had similarly understated his third-innings masterclass that turned out to be decisive: \u201cI am just comfortable with myself and my technique. I stand as still as I can, watch the ball. I have come here wanting to do well \u2026 It was about awareness, the leg opening up a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n South Africa had still not avoided the innings defeat when Bavuma came to bat. Unlike most batters on extreme pitches like these, he trusted his defence. He used the depth of the crease like a master. He stayed back against the experienced Indian spinners, waiting for the ball. When they pitched up, he smothered them.<\/p>\n In between, he found risk-free runs. Ones and twos, mostly, but punctuated by the odd boundary. In the 41st over, even Ravindra Jadeja \u2013 who had bowled so well to take four wickets \u2013 had little option but to bowl from over the wicket. Bavuma\u2019s impeccable footwork and technique had forced him to abandon his strengths.<\/p>\n Bavuma\u2019s 55 was the only score in excess of forty in the Test. \u201cI have played here before and I understand the conditions, and luck also played a part,\u201d he assessed.<\/p>\n Luck? The broadcasters did show a graphic: he had been in control (either middled or left alone) 79 per cent of the first 113 balls he had faced on a difficult pitch. He was as good as they made them.<\/p>\n The 44-run eighth-wicket stand between Bavuma and Corbin Bosch on the third morning virtually decided the Test. It was certainly more than South Africa\u2019s margin of victory. Rishabh Pant, the stand-in Indian captain, acknowledged its significance.<\/p>\n Bavuma downplayed that as well: \u201cMy stand with Bosch was nice. The wicket played better this morning; it wasn\u2019t as extreme.\u201d<\/p>\n Typical. It was almost as if he had not completed a two-year redemption arc at an iconic Test venue, against forces on and off the field.<\/p>\n Postscript <\/p>\n Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant were debating a DRS call for LBW on the first day. The point of impact, combined with Bavuma\u2019s height, became a point of contention.<\/p>\n \u201cBauna bhi to hai yeh,\u201d reminded Bumrah, referring to Bavuma\u2019s diminutive frame. Bumrah may or may not be sanctioned for the use of the word \u201cbauna\u201d<\/a> (the ICC Code of Conduct is not specific on this).<\/p>\n In 11 Tests as captain, Bavuma has now led South Africa to ten wins (and a draw) and a global title. He averages 57 in these Tests.<\/p>\n