Guwahati: “We woke up this morning to watch the Ashes and did it with a bit of jealousy, knowing that they were playing five Tests.” These were Temba Bavuma’s thoughts when asked about the two-Test series they are playing against India. These are two of the best teams in the business, and it is the second consecutive series between them that has only two games. In 2023-24, the series in South Africa ended 1-1 after Rohit Sharma’s team fought back in Cape Town following a defeat in the first Test in Pretoria. Indian captain Rishabh Pant agreed with Bavuma. “The pressure is more in a two-Test series because if you lose the first match, it gets tricky. But then, we don’t think too much about this,” India’s stand-in captain said. India regularly play four- or five-Test series against teams like England and Australia, but it isn’t always the case with South Africa. The World Test champions of the last cycle played quite a few two-Test series over the last year, including two against Pakistan, one against Sri Lanka, and one against Bangladesh. There’s a theory in ICC circles that beyond the Ashes, Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, not too many Test series are commercially viable. The WTC champions, despite their recent brilliance in the format, still aren’t a money-spinner when it comes to red-ball cricket. “Players are not involved when it comes to mapping out the schedule. I think each of our players who have had the opportunity to interact with the media have had that question in front of them. They have voiced their frustration,” Bavuma said. The right-hander hopes this trend will end and that they will get more chances to play longer series. “Hopefully, in the near future, we’ll go back to playing four Tests against India.” Hope the men who run the sport are listening.
