'Pant and Bumrah came and apologised': Bavuma reveals aftermath of 'Bauna' remark

NEW DELHI: South Africa captain Temba Bavuma has broken his silence on the controversial on-field comment involving India pacer Jasprit Bumrah and wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant during the first Test of the series at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, revealing that both Bumrah and Pant later apologised to him for the remark that sparked widespread debate.

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The incident occurred on Day 1 of the match on November 14 when Bumrah believed he had Bavuma LBW and engaged in a discussion with Pant over taking a DRS review after the on-field umpire turned down the appeal. A stump-mic clip of their exchange went viral, with Bumrah appearing to refer to Bavuma as “bauna”, a term often associated with dwarfism and widely perceived as offensive when directed at someone's stature.




Writing in his ESPNcricinfo column, Bavuma said he was initially unaware of the comment and only learnt about it later through his team's media manager.

“I know from my side there was an incident where they said something in their language about me,” Bavuma wrote. “At the end of the day, two senior players, Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah, came and apologised.”

Bavuma admitted the apology initially puzzled him. “When the apology was made, I was in the dark about what it was about. I hadn't heard it at the time and I needed to check in with our media manager about it.”


While stressing that such incidents are part of the intensity of elite cricket, Bavuma made it clear that words spoken on the field are not easily erased. “What happens on the field, stays on the field but you don't forget what is said,” he noted. “You use it as fuel and motivation, but there are no grudges per se.”

The South Africa skipper added that high-stakes series against India inevitably bring heightened emotions. “A series against India is always going to be intense, and when it's heated, it makes it even more of a spectacle and motivates the players further,” he wrote, emphasising that mutual respect between players ultimately remained intact.

Bavuma's comments come in the backdrop of a historic achievement for South Africa, who under his leadership completed a dominant 2-0 Test series whitewash over India on their home soil, their first such feat since 2000. Reflecting on the tour, Bavuma said moments of controversy only underlined how fiercely contested the series was — and how determined his side were to make history.


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