South Africa captain Temba Bavuma had to be taken off the field after seemingly injuring his hamstring while fielding during the first day of the Boxing Day Test between South Africa and India.
Virat Kohli sliced Marco Jansen at extra cover on the fourth ball of his 20th ball and conceded two runs with Babuma chasing from the middle. He managed to stop the ball, but apparently injured his hamstring while running. Bavuma was then observed limping. He was immediately in pain after throwing the ball back, grabbing a muscle in his left thigh and eventually had to be taken out of the park with the help of support staff.
Dean Elgar, who announced his retirement after the Test series, took over as captain after Bavuma’s injury and India’s score was 60-3.
For a moment, commentators were confused as to who would take over. It was initially suggested that Aiden Markram would be his successor as captain. However, it was later confirmed that former captain Elgar had been appointed vice-captain for the series, and that he would take over in Bavuma’s absence.
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Bavuma injured his right thigh during the 2023 World Cup match against Afghanistan and missed two games as a result.
Earlier, when South Africa chose to bat first at Centurions, Bavuma won the toss.
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