In a recent development from the cricketing world, former South African opener Herschelle Gibbs expressed criticism towards the current South African Test captain, Temba Bavuma, for his physical fitness. This comment came after Bavuma sustained an injury while fielding on the first day of the Boxing Day Test against India.
Dean Elgar, who is approaching retirement from international cricket after this series, stepped in as the captain following Bavuma's exit in the initial session of the match. Bavuma's injury occurred during the 20th over when he was attempting to stop a shot by Indian batsman Virat Kohli. This effort resulted in Bavuma straining his left hamstring, which was particularly concerning as he had been dealing with a right hamstring issue from a previous match in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup semi-final against South Africa in India.
Gibbs, responding to a post on social media, made controversial remarks about Bavuma's fitness, labeling him as unfit and overweight for playing at the international level.
"Ironic that the coach allows some players who are clearly unfit and overweight to play when he started off as proteas trainer in 2009," Gibbs posted on 'X'.
Following his injury, Bavuma had to leave the field immediately and was later sent for medical evaluation to determine the severity of his hamstring strain. During the day's commentary, it was confirmed that Bavuma had indeed suffered a strain in his left hamstring.
Despite this setback for South Africa, the team found a silver lining in Kagiso Rabada's performance. Rabada delivered an impressive bowling spell, achieving his first five-wicket haul against India. This achievement also placed him among the elite group of only seven South African cricketers who have taken 500 wickets in international cricket.
Rabada's bowling prowess was instrumental in putting pressure on India, currently the world's number 1 Test team. However, India managed to hold their ground, thanks to a resilient half-century from KL Rahul. The Indian team concluded Day 1 of the Test with a score of 208 for 8, setting the stage for a compelling continuation of the match.
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