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When Faf Du Plessis Used Temba Bavuma As Proxy Test Captain For Toss Against Virat Kohli

Aashay Chopade

Temba Bavuma As Proxy Captain Of South Africa (Source:@BCCI/X.com)Temba Bavuma As Proxy Captain Of South Africa (Source:@BCCI/X.com)

Temba Bavuma will forever be remembered in South Africa as a leader who took them to the pinnacle of Test cricket with a historic WTC Final win. His leadership has been inspirational, and he is yet to lose a game in Test cricket as a captain.

The right-handed batter took over the leadership reins in the format from Dean Elgar in 2023. However, he had an unexpected taste of captaincy way back in 2019 when he was used as a proxy leader for the toss by Faf du Plessis.

It was the third and final Test match between India and South Africa in Ranchi. Virat Kohli's boys were in red-hot form with two comprehensive wins in the initial two matches as South Africa were struggling to deal with Indian spinners.

Faf Du Plessis' Strange Idea To Reverse 'Toss' Luck Goes Wrong

The toss was an important factor in the series and Faf du Plessis, the captain of South Africa, was struggling to call it right. He had lost nine consecutive tosses in Asia before that game, so in a surprise move, Faf decided to bring in Temba Bavuma for the toss. Bavuma made the call in place of the original South African skipper, but unfortunately for the Proteas, Virat Kohli won the toss again.

The incident created a lot of buzz at that time, with even Virat Kohli and others present at the toss bursting out in laughter upon seeing South Africa's strange tactics. Bavuma, though, was pretty stoic in his presence during the entire incident. He has worked hard over the years and after six long years, the man has completed an inspiring journey from being just a 'Toss Captain' to the WTC title-winning leader of South Africa.

Check Temba Bavuma's Appearance As Proxy Captain In 2019!