Johannesburg - Proteas limited overs captain Temba Bavuma will get in touch with his Springbok counterpart Siya Kolisi soon, but doesn’t want to have an information overload ahead of his first World Cup as a player and as a captain.
The Proteas party, including 11 players along with the management, departed for Dubai on Sunday, where they will spend six days in quarantine before being allowed out train. They will be joined at different stages by the seven players, who are currently playing in the IPL.
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Bavuma’s relationship with Kolisi, goes beyond the personal – they are represented by the Roc Nation agency, and through that, Bavuma has spent time with Kolisi after he joined the Sharks rugby team in Durban.
“I’ll touch base with him over the next couple of days when things have settled, especially on his side,” Bavuma said on Sunday.
However, the Proteas skipper doesn’t to be overwhelmed with info either. Being his first World Cup, he wants to allow himself the chance to absorb as many of the experiences of the event, without any preconceived notions.
“It’s better sometimes when you don’t know what to expect, you allow yourselves to rely on hope or faith,” Bavuma said.
“I don’t want to play it too much in my head. I believe I have done all that I can to hold myself in the coming moments. I really, really don’t think I should be trying new things, or trying out a different Temba – a different version of myself.
“As I’ve always done, (I want) to take things days by day and trust that things will look after themselves if I do the right things.”
Bavuma, said the Proteas, would draw inspiration from Kolisi and his Springbok teammates, who produced another thrilling win over their primary rivals New Zealand on Saturday.
“There’s a lot of inspiration that we can draw form the Springboks. As much as their performances in the Rugby Championships didn’t go how they would have wanted, but you always had that sense of belief that they could win at any time.”
“The fight they have, the resilience they have shown over the years, is something that all sportsmen in South Africa admire. As the Proteas we bank on our resilience, but [people at home want us to do it on the big stage in the pressure moments.”
The Proteas open their World Cup campaign against Australia in Abu Dhabi on October 23.
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