Temba Bavuma Jealous Over Five-Test Ashes Amid Short India Series

South Africa captain Temba Bavuma said his team felt jealous watching the five-Test Ashes while playing only two Tests against India.

South Africa captain Temba Bavuma has expressed his team’s jealousy at watching the five-Test Ashes series while his World Test Championship-winning side plays only two Tests against India. The second and final Test between India and South Africa begins in Guwahati on November 22.

Bavuma revealed his team watched the Ashes opener with mixed feelings, noting the disparity in series length between cricket’s traditional rivalries and other contests. The current India-South Africa series marks their second consecutive two-match encounter after their 2022-23 series ended 1-1.

Temba Bavuma’s Call for Longer Series

“We woke up this morning to watch the Ashes. We watched with a bit of jealousy, knowing that they were playing five Tests. They will be going at each other,” Bavuma said while speaking at the pre-match press conference.

The Proteas skipper emphasized that a two-Test series doesn’t properly represent a clash between two of the world’s strongest Test teams. He expressed hope for longer series in the near future.

“Hopefully, not too far in the future, but more in the near future, we will go back to play four tests against India,” Bavuma said.

Bavuma acknowledged that players have little influence over scheduling decisions. He noted series length often reflects a cricket board’s financial strength, explaining why high-profile contests like the Ashes and Border-Gavaskar Trophy feature five Tests while others remain limited to two.

“Players aren’t involved when it comes to mapping out the schedule. I think every one of our players who has had the opportunity to interact with the media has had that question in front of them,” Bavuma said.