Bavuma said they weren't really expecting to win the ODI series after two games.
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma heaped praise on his wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock after his crucial knock helped the Proteas side defeat India in the second ODI by 7 wickets to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series at Paarl on Friday (January 21).
He further said that De Kock has reminded the side again why he is such a valuable player for South Africa. The left-hander made 78 off 66 balls, as well as stitched 132 runs for the opening wicket with Janneman Malan (91 off 108) to help South Africa chase down 288 easily against Team India.
After winning the Test series against India, South Africa has now claimed the ODI series as well, taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series, with the final match set to be played on January 23. Following the ODI series win, Bavuma was over the moon and thanked his team for their efforts.
Bavuma said at the post-match presentation: “Very happy. We wanted to win the series and weren't really expecting it to do after the 2 games. A lot of positives to take from our performances. Great to have him (QDK) in the side and he reminded us again why he is such a valuable player for us.”
The skipper continued, “As a team, we have a lot of self-belief and confidence in our ability. We are not a team that prides itself on having superstars or relying on individual performances. We really try and put in a team effort. Coming into this series from the Test side, no-one had much faith in us and that gave us a lot of motivation.”
He signed off by saying, “The performances in the last month have been really good. Spinners have done a splendid job. It's a great thing. We pride ourselves on fast bowlers, but to see the spin bowlers winning the game for us that really makes us a side to reckon against. I enjoy captaincy and I enjoyed it since domestic cricket. I see it as something to forget about myself and try and see how I can inspire the other guys in the team. 3-0 sounds a lot better than 2-1.”
(With ANI Inputs)