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According to ABD, he was not confident about the decision to appoint Bavuma as South Africa’s Test captain, but his (Bavuma’s) success has surprised him.
AB De Villiers surprised by Temba Bavuma’s success as captain. (Picture Credit: PTI)
Temba Bavuma led South Africa to the World Test Championship (WTC) title win in June 2025, and on November 26 in Guwahati, he ended South Africa’s 25-year-long wait for a Test series win in India. Under Bavuma’s leadership, South Africa defeated India by 30 runs inside three days in the first Test at Eden Gardens and by 408 runs in the second Test at Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati to seal the two-match series with a scoreline of 2-0. Bavuma’s success in recent months is not just a surprise for Indian fans, but even legendary South African batter and former captain AB de Villiers also didn’t expect Bavuma to achieve the results that he actually has.
According to ABD, Bavuma’s success as South Africa’s Test captain has surprised him. He added that he was not entirely confident about the decision to appoint him in 2023. The former batter compared the 35-year-old cricketer with the legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni during his recent chat with former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and said that he (Bavuma) commands respect in the dressing room and handles pressure calmly.
“He has surprised all of us. I’ve spoken to my friends about it for years. For the first few years after he was named captain, I was hesitant to say I was confident about the call. Maybe it comes back to the old phrase: You can’t judge a book by its cover,” de Villiers said.
“He doesn’t look like this big Graeme Smith with the aura and intimidating presence. Temba is a small, soft-spoken guy; he hardly ever raises his voice. It shows you that different styles of captaincy can be successful.”
“I think it was similar with MS Dhoni back in the day. I hardly ever heard his voice. He was calm and didn’t speak much, but when he did, people listened. I think it might be the same with Temba. He earns respect by being calm.”
“It’s absolutely incredible. He has taken me aback with the success he has achieved,” he added.
Since taking charge of the South African team, Bavuma has won 11 out of 12 Tests. He is the fastest captain in the world to win 10 Test matches, and under his leadership, South Africa are yet to lose a Test match.
November 29, 2025, 08:03 IST
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