Cricket - South Africa return home after historic World Test Championship win - Cricket South Africa, Melrose, Johannesburg, South Africa - June 18, 2025 South Africa's Temba Bavuma during a press conference REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko
KOLKATA, India (Reuters) -South Africa are the World Test champions and skipper Temba Bavuma wants them to play like it and prove their credentials in the two-test series against India beginning on Friday.
After decades of trying to shed the 'choker' tag, South Africa registered their first major triumph in June when they beat Australia in the World Test Championship final.
Five months on from their Lord's glory, South Africa arrived in India with swagger but also a point to prove - that the WTC trophy was no fluke.
"We're known as the champions, the current champions at this point," Bavuma told reporters on the eve of the series opener at Eden Gardens.
"We have a lovely opportunity now coming up against India in their own conditions. There's not many bigger challenges than that. So, it's an opportunity for us to kind of stamp ourselves with that label."
Bavuma knew not everyone considered the Proteas as the best test team in the world and was keen to make the WTC final again to silence all doubters.
"We started the (2025-27) test cycle with the ambition of seeing ourselves in the final again," said the batter, who is returning from a calf injury.
"We have our own goals. We know where we want to be as a team, and we know at what point we want to start measuring ourselves up."
"Yes, winning the test championship is big in a lot of ways but we'd like to see ourselves after four years where we measure up as a team."
INDIA EXPECT DIFFICULT MOMENTS
The WTC implications of the series were not lost on his India counterpart Shubman Gill either.
India, who have twice finished WTC runners-up, are currently third in the standings after a 2-2 draw in England and a 2-0 home victory against West Indies.
"These two tests are going to be very important to qualify for the WTC final," Gill told reporters.
"They are the reigning World Test champions and we know that it won't be easy.
"There will be difficult moments. But as a team, we have shown that whenever there are difficult moments, we have handled them well."
A fit-again Rishabh Pant will don the keeper's gloves, while Dhruv Jurel, who kept wicket against West Indies, will play as a specialist batter.
India returned home last week after a limited-overs series in Australia and Gill said shifting so quickly to the long format was easier said than done.
"But as a professional cricketer, you know that these challenges will be thrown at you. The way you tackle them defines your greatness."
(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in Kolkata; editing by Ken Ferris)
