NEW DELHI: A visibly candid Temba Bavuma admitted that he felt a tinge of envy while watching the Ashes unfold in Perth on Friday morning, questioning why South Africa - the reigning World Test Champions - are playing only a two-Test series against India.
Bavuma, who led his side to the WTC title earlier this year, said a short series does little justice to the quality and intensity expected when two of the strongest red-ball teams in the world face off.
"We woke up this morning to watch the Ashes. We watched with a bit of jealousy, knowing that they were playing five Tests. They'll be going at each other," Bavuma said, clearly unimpressed that a champion team gets to play a short series.
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"Hopefully, not too far in the future, but more in the near future, we'll go back to play four Tests against India."
Bavuma acknowledged that, as a player, he has little influence over how international schedules are planned. He pointed out that the length of a Test series often depends on the financial strength and commercial appeal of the cricket boards involved.
That is why high-profile contests like the Ashes, the Border–Gavaskar Trophy (India vs Australia), and the Anderson–Tendulkar Trophy (India vs England) are granted five-match series - they generate massive commercial interest.
In contrast, most other teams, including South Africa, New Zealand, West Indies, and Bangladesh, usually end up playing two-Test series when facing India, largely due to the financial realities of international cricket.
"Players are not involved when it comes to mapping out the schedule. I think every of our players who have had the opportunity to interact with the media, have had that question in front of them. They have voiced out their frustration," the Proteas skipper said.
What makes a two-Test series less entertaining is that the probability of a drawn series is way more compared to a result that three-game series can yield.
"Look, however way the series goes, 1-1, 2-0, it would be nice for a three-Test series against a formidable team like India. And it's just good for the fans, really, when people get to see good cricket, one team dominating, another team dominating. But there also being an opportunity for one team to come out as victors," he said, explaining the rationale behind a minimum three-game series.
For South Africa though, their inspirational skipper wants to continue doing the good on-field work and compel the stakeholders to give them a fair deal.
"Like I've already said, as players, all we can do is what we've been trying to do out on the field, keep playing good cricket. That will attract the top nations and other nations to play a lot more cricket."
(With PTI Inputs)
