'He is the right man for the job' - AB de Villiers backs Temba Bavuma to come good for South Africa in T20 WC

Former South African captain AB de Villiers opined on the current form of Temba Bavuma which has been a major disappointment in the three T20Is against India. Ahead of the start of the series, Bavuma went unsold in the SA20 Auction which brought about a lot of debate. The captain of the nation for the T20 World Cup going unsold in the country’s biggest T20 league doesn’t happen always and it certainly proved to be a great disappointment for the skipper himself.  

Seen as a Test specialist, Bavuma has played 27 T20Is so far scoring 562 runs at an average of 24.43. He has scored one fifty so far in the format, however, it has been the strike rate of 117.81 that has left the fans and experts wondering if Bavuma is the right man for the role in the ICC event next month. Moreover, the right-hander has had scores of 0,0 and 3 in the three games so far which hasn’t done any good to the criticism.  

I believe his form will come at the right time: AB de Villers 

However, AB de Villiers feels that the debate over Bavuma could actually be a thinking point for the latter to handle. He went on to back the 32-year-old by stating that it is already a big achievement to lead the nation and it doesn't come easily. De Villiers noted that Bavuma has the best chance to answer his critics in a big tournament like the T20 World Cup 2022.  

“I think it's a question on everyone's lips at the moment. Is Temba the right guy? All of a sudden you start seeing your name in the newspapers, you start hearing friends talking about your form and you start doubting whether you belong there or not,” De Villiers told in an interaction on Twitter spaces. 

“But if you guys think about it, to have come to where he is now, you must have a lot of desire and a lot of determination and there must be something very special inside of you. So for Temba to be the captain of South Africa already is an incredible achievement.”

“There are some fairytales that I've seen on the cricket field before, especially from people being out of form going into big tournaments. So, I do believe Temba is the right man for the job. I believe his form will come at the right time, at the right place, which there's no better than the T20 World Cup,” he added.