‘Practicing my coin tossing skills’ — Temba Bavuma hopes Kane Williamson’s advice helps South Africa beat India in IND vs SA Test series
South Africa’s Test leg of the tour of India begins with the first of two Test matches on Friday, November 14. It also marks the return of Test cricket to the Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata after a six-year hiatus.
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Having clinched the World Test Championship against Australia and drawn a series in Pakistan, the Proteas will be riding on confidence ahead of the India series.
As Temba Bavuma looks to inspire his team to win their first series in India since 2000, he opened up about a funny piece of advice shared by Kane Williamson, after New Zealand defeated India 3-0 last year.
Temba Bavuma on Kane Williamson’s advice to win Tests in India
New Zealand swept India 3–0 in October–November 2024 and ended the Men in Blue’s 12-year streak of home series wins. They also inflicted India’s first-ever clean sweep in a three-match home series.
MORE: Ex-KKR star Shubman Gill’s emotional reaction on his Kolkata return for IND vs SA Tests
Notably, the Blackcaps won all three tosses on the tour in Bengaluru, Pune and Mumbai. When Bavuma went to Williamson for advice, the former New Zealand skipper jokingly advised the South African to make sure and win the toss to have success in India.
“I met up with Kane (Williamson) at an awards ceremony here in India a couple of months ago. I tried to ask him for some pointers. He wasn’t too open — he did say ‘make sure that you win the toss’. So I have been practising my coin-tossing skills, but I guess you’ve just got to play good cricket. It is as easy, but as hard as that,” he revealed to the press.
Shubman Gill’s record in coin tosses in Tests:
Funnily, just like Rohit Sharma in 2024, the current India skipper, Shubman Gill, also has a forgettable record at the tosses.
Since he has been handed the Test captaincy, he has only won 1/7 tosses against England and the West Indies.
TossesWonLostWin %81612.50%
After failing to win a Test in India on their previous two tours, the WTC winners will be under considerable pressure, with high expectations for them to perform well on this tour.
Notably, they boast a formidable spin-bowling attack and a good batting line-up to finally play a memorable series in India under Bavuma.
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