Temba Bavuma walks off the field with recurring hamstring injury

The South Africa cricket team received a big blow during the first session of the ongoing Centurion Test against India on Tuesday (December 26). Their captain, Temba Bavuma suffered a hamstring injury and had to walk off the field in the 20th over of the Test. Bavuma was running to stop a cover drive from Virat Kohli when he pulled his hamstring and hobbled towards the ball. 

It is a big blow for the Proteas given Bavuma is the leader of the side and his ouster from the match can reduce South Africa to a 10-man side. Moreover, it takes out a batter from their XI which already looks thin on experience with three of their top six having played less than 20 Tests. The wicketkeeper, Kyle Verreynne, is in his 15th Test, Tony de Zorzi is in his third Test and David Bedingham is making his Test debut. 

Bavuma has been troubled by the hamstring quite a fair bit in the recent past. During the ODI World Cup which concluded last month, Bavuma was pinned down by his hamstring quite a few times. He played the semi-final against Australia half-fit and bagged a duck. He was rested from the white-ball leg of India’s tour of South Africa to recover from the injury. 

Heading into the Test series, Bavuma said he is mentally fresh after the break and time spent from home. However, the hamstring issues have re-occurred during the first session of the first Test itself. 

Aiden Markram, the vice-captain, has assumed the captaincy duties. In an update provided by Cricket South Africa, Bavuma went for a scan which revealed a left hamstring strain. He will be assessed on a day-to-day basis.