4 November - Kolkata - South Africa Captain Temba Bavuma pre-match press conference
[Reporter:]
You guys have had a pretty successful group campaign and so have India. And you can obviously see the sense of occasion around this.
Just how's everybody feeling and looking forward to playing India in this venue with this type of crowd?
[Temba Bavuma:]
Yeah, there's a lot of excitement within our group. I guess excitement of the occasion of playing here at Eden Gardens, quite a lot of history about the ground, but obviously I think the more important one is coming up against India, who are an in-form side. We are an in-form side and we look forward to the opportunity to test our skills against this Indian team.
[Reporter:]
Just on your own form, the rest of the guys are all making big runs. Just from your own self-belief perspective, how are you feeling about how you're playing and wanting to make a contribution to the side?
[Temba Bavuma:]
Yeah, you always want to be making contributions. Like you said, the other batters are smashing it at the moment. I think I take comfort in the fact that I've been involved in some partnerships with Quinton [De Kock] up front. Obviously, you want to extend it. I guess from my side, maybe it's just one of those patches again where you're kind of scratching, but I think you've got to keep that belief that the opportunity will be there for me to make a big play within the team. I think that's where my head is at but a lot of comfort in the fact that we've been getting starts in that first 10 overs and obviously with the guys being in form they've been able to exploit that and play the way that they've played
[Reporter:]
Up until now you've almost been able to sail under the radar in this World Cup. I know you guys have obviously gained attention as you've been successful. But here you are, suddenly it's the full glare of a game against India. Do you have discussions about not getting swept up by the occasion or do you just try and look past it?
[Temba Bavuma:]
Yeah, we definitely do. I think from the start of the tournament we spoke about just trying to take it game by game, staying as present as we can. I believe we've done that very well. Obviously, like you've just said, the noise around the team, that's grown, but I think it's for us to control our spaces within the team but I guess also draw energy from I guess the positive sentiment that's floating in and around the team. Probably hard for us to keep going as the underdogs, but I think in terms of the team, everything still stays the same. We don't see ourselves any different. We'll still take it day by day, game by game.
[Reporter:]
Quinton yesterday spoke about your form. And he said that you look good, and you're hitting the ball good, you just, I think you said, you managed to find a way to get yourself out. And then you also said, but the team believes that you being you, you will come up with a big play for them when the team most need it.
Just firstly, is it frustrating to feel that you're in-form and then just manage to get out? And secondly, how much confidence do you take out of the fact that you have that sort of backing from your teammates, that they just believe in you and that you will come right somewhere along the line?
[Temba Bavuma:]
Yeah, I take a lot of confidence from that. That's something that I feel every day within the team. And I think it's probably due to the fact that there's a group of batters who've been with each other for the last three or four years, however long it's been. We've seen each other go through the little ups and the downs and we know that all of us mentally have what it takes to get over, I guess, the little challenges that we face.
I guess for me, I just need to keep sticking to my processes, keep preparing as well as I can and if I'm doing that, hopefully the result will take care of itself.
Mentally, obviously got to keep staying there. There's still got a lot of cricket to go within this tournament. And I believe that I'll have a part to play somewhere within the tournament.
[Reporter:]
I think everybody is aware of the dangers that are posed by this Indian attack and stuff. And like you said, you guys try to stick to your processes. And I'm pretty sure you guys know what their threats are but when you see a previous game like they did against Sri Lanka and you see they shoot these guys out 55 - does that even make you more weary or is that just something you sort of like feel, well it happened, we just have to move on?
[Temba Bavuma:]
No, I think, I mean, you respect the strength and the threats that they bring. It's obviously a world-class bowling attack in their condition, so they know everything about these conditions. So as bad as we do now, we're going to have to have our A games up come tomorrow. But when I say we stick to our processes, we prepare as well as we can. We try to cover all our bases, make sure that we're not surprised by anything, and get ourselves into a space where we can play our best cricket.
[Reporter:]
You mentioned drawing positive vibes from what's happening around the team. Now, sport unites a country. How important has this campaign been, the way it's been so far for South Africa?
[Temba Bavuma:]
I think it's been a good journey. I think every day we've grown in belief and confidence as a team. We obviously came here with the aim of getting to the end. And we're getting closer and closer to that. And with that happening, with the performances that we've put up, it's definitely strengthened us within the team. We've obviously taken note of outside the team, everything that is happening, the performances and success of the rugby team back home, and the positive energy that we've gotten from the rugby boys as well.
But I think with that all being said, I think we still want to stay a lot more drawn to each other as a team, control what we can control within the team, regulate our emotions as much as we can and make sure we're in the best space possible to play our best cricket the way we want to do it.
[Reporter:]
Have you talked about not to choke in this important match because always they're called and this strong batting must have wiped away that tag to a certain extent.
[Temba Bavuma:]
To choke? I don't know how to answer that. I think if we come unstuck tomorrow, I don't think it'll be a matter of choking. I doubt you would say that about India as well if they come unstuck if they would choke.
You got two teams who are in-form, coming up against each other and I think it's just a matter of who breaks first and who's able to I guess, exploit that moment or that weakness. We understand that there will be pressure moments within the World Cup, moments that we've overcome to get to this point, and there will still be more. We'll deal with them as best as we can. But yeah, I haven't heard that word come up as of yet in the training.
[Reporter:]
Since the beginning of the tournament, South Africa is literally in a blasting mode. And we can see that in every match is you are achieving new highs. But as far as the Eden pitch is concerned, we normally see that the first innings average batting score is 245 and second innings is 206. So, what will be the strategy for that?
[Temba Bavuma:]
Our strategy, I haven't seen the wicket yet. So, I think first and foremost, that's where we'll start. Once we've had a look at the wicket, we'll obviously see what our team would look like. If possible, I'd like to play both our front-line spinners, but we'll see how that comes about. And then once we're in the game, again, we've got to assess the conditions, take note of the fact that what the average score is. But we believe that with the makeup of our team, we can get any score that we can.
I think we are mindful of the fact that it won't be like Delhi, where it's a quick scoring ground. We might have to graft a lot more. You might have to hit a lot more balls on the ground. But all of that will happen tomorrow. We won't go in today with too many preconceived ideas.
[Reporter:]
One of the most positive characteristics of Indian bowling is their pace bowling attack and they are picking up wickets within the first 10 overs regularly. So, do you have any specific plan how to tackle them within the first power play?
[Temba Bavuma:]
I think it will just go to assessing the conditions to be honest. We'll see what their threats are. Like you said those are bowlers who if they swing, they'll exploit the swing, if there's nip, they'll do the same. If it means that we have to be a lot more compact early on, so be it. But it will really be about what the conditions are dictating and forcing us to play.
[Reporter:]
[inaudible]
[Temba Bavuma:]
Again, I think it will depend on the conditions. Like you said, Kuldeep Yadav, he's bowled very well. He's been taking wickets for them in the middle, in conjunction with Jadeja. So, they've been quite key within that middle phase. I think we've played spin quite well as a team over the last couple of years. So, it'll be a good test for us batters as to how we come up against that challenge of Yadav as well as Jadeja.
[Reporter:]
Just on the attack, I mean you've obviously come up against some quality attacks thus far. Can you just describe a little more on what kind of challenge you expect them to present? I mean you've faced some of these guys before and kind of how you think your own bowlers stack up against them?
[Temba Bavuma:]
Yeah, their bowlers, I mean, you don't get a lot of bad balls. Like I said, the three-up front, Bumrah, Siraj, as well as Shami, are guys who can exploit anything with that new ball. If there's swing, if there's nip, they can exploit that quite attacking bowlers as well, so I guess with that there comes an opportunity to score.
But you really got to be on your A game with that new ball. Then obviously they've got their spinners in the middle who really hold the game, in Yadav as well as Jadeja, Yadav has that ability to take wickets. So, I think the way we've played spin has been good. I think there will be a big expectation for us to do that.
They obviously only have five bowlers, so they can, I guess, be put under pressure if one of their bowlers is not on their day. But yeah, I think you've got to probably respect their bowling attack a little bit more than the other bowling attacks. And understand that you're going to have to play good cricket for longer periods.
[Reporter:]
You said it's a historic place here because 10 of your players made their debut here at this ground. So, what do you expect for your team to perform?
Because as per the wicket, what do you expect from Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj to perform here?
[Temba Bavuma:]
Yeah, if the wicket assists the spinners, you'll definitely see those two. And I mean, we saw why Keshav did the previous game. On the wicket they probably didn't offer a great deal of spin but he was able to be super successful. We saw Tabraiz Shamsi as well in Chennai as well showing what he did coming off the bench.
I think that the strength of our team has been around that, these guys coming off the bench and putting in the performances. I think there's not any additional pressure on those two guys. They'll just do what they've been doing and we'll support and back them all the way.
I think in terms of the stadium as well, I think it's just to say the occasion of playing at Eden Gardens. But it does become another game of cricket again.
