IANSNew Delhi, Never ask Temba Bavuma 'what's there in a name'?
They have trolled him for his pre-captaincy batting average, body shamed him, resorted to name calling but for Bavuma, the new World Test Champion captain from South Africa, it was all in the name.
The name 'Temba' given by his grandmother means 'Hope' in Zulu.
Just like his name, Temba never gave up on hope, that one day, the Proteas as a nation will be on top of the world at his dream ground --Lord's.
Just as Kyle Verreynne hit the winning runs, Temba covered his face with his palms even as others around him were ecstatic.
He perhaps wanted to hide his moistened eyes, didn't want to choke up like teammate Keshav Maharaj but after leading South Africa to its first ICC trophy in 27 years.
The first-ever Black Captain to win a global trophy for the Rainbow Nation -- probably the brightest colour in the VIBGYOR, the man, all of 63 inches vertically towered over an Australian team that has 10 ICC trophies.
But it is not just a victory of a cricket team but for all those Black South Africans, who have suffered during apartheid for years. Seeing their 'Little Big Man' who walked through that Lord's Long Room, entered the field, carried himself with utmost grace as he lifted the Golden mace.
When the next chapter of South Africa's social history in the post apartheid era will be written, Temba , Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi's names will be enshrined in gold. There will be Indian origin players like Maharaj and Senuran Muthusamy and white South Africans like Aiden Markram, David Bedingham and Tristan Stubbs.
"Here's an opportunity for us as a nation, divided as we are, to unite. You can be rest assured we'll celebrate as one," Temba told Nasser Hussain during presentation.
From lanes of black dominated Langa in Cape Town to the tavern around St John's Wood in upscale London, everyday for past 25 years, Bavuma had a point to prove. First he is good enough to play the game at the top level.
That he can represent South Africa at the international level. And even better, he can lead an eclectic mix of talent with poise and discretion that no one could have envisaged when he took over from Dean Elgar few years back.
If you dare to dream, then dream like the boy from Langa, who pushed the barriers of physical pain at Lord's.
"In Langa we had a four-way street. On the right-hand side of the street the tar wasn't done so nicely and we used to call it Karachi because the ball would bounce funny.
"The other side was the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) but my favourite section of the street was clean, and done up nicely, and we called it Lord's because it just looked better. So, as a kid of 10, I already had that dream of playing at Lord's," he had recently told the 'Guardian' before the World Test Championship final.
By the age of 11, Temba was on a sports scholarship after being identified as a special talent. As a sixth grader, he had once written an essay that found its pride of place in school magazine.
"I see myself in fifteen years in my suit and shaking (then SA president Thabo) Mr Mbeki's hand congratulating me for making the South African side," sixth-grader Temba, wrote in his submission.
"If I do I would definitely thank my coaches and parents who support me all the way and especially my two uncles who gave me the skills of being one (a Proteas representative)," he always knew what he wanted.
In exactly 15 years, he was playing for South Africa.
And if one knows his goal, the journey however difficult it might be, never looked improbable.
Ask anyone who has a torn hamstring, the pain becomes unbearable. He wasn't able to run the quick twos and threes and even head coach Shukri Conrad didn't want him to continue.
"To be honest, a lot of it came from him. He's led us from the front for the last two-three years. He didn't want to walk off the field yesterday, found a way to score really important runs, played an innings lot of people will remember," said hero of the final Aiden Markram.
When he was appointed the captain, there were voices down the corridors of South African cricket establishment that raised questions if he was deserving. His batting average was in early 30s but little did they think that with a game built on copious amount of patience and the grit that was on show on Friday, Temba would be averaging 57 plus as a batter when he captained South Africa.
But it is not his on-field achievements that makes him special but off-field connections that he has made over the years that makes him an endearing human being. One who believes in inclusivity.
He never had any ill feelings when Quinton de Kock didn't take a knee to support 'Black Lives Matter' movement. But in the last three years, he has shown how to take everyone along -- the Blacks, the Whites and the Coloured.
"The biggest word for me is inclusiveness, and guys are seeking excellence in everything they do. We are pushing each other, we are pushing the boundaries and we are trying to get better and better. There's openness in the team," he had told ESPN Cricinfo in an interview.
He runs a foundation which helps underprivileged children get education and chance to excel at sport like he did. He lives a quiet life with his wife Phila Lobi, a Real Estate Mogul and his child.
But when need be, he knows he has a standing and raises his voice for right reasons.
Temba Bavuma is certainly a captain on the field but more so a leader off it.
They have trolled him for his pre-captaincy batting average, body shamed him, resorted to name calling but for Bavuma, the new World Test Champion captain from South Africa, it was all in the name.
The name 'Temba' given by his grandmother means 'Hope' in Zulu.
Just like his name, Temba never gave up on hope, that one day, the Proteas as a nation will be on top of the world at his dream ground --Lord's.
Just as Kyle Verreynne hit the winning runs, Temba covered his face with his palms even as others around him were ecstatic.
He perhaps wanted to hide his moistened eyes, didn't want to choke up like teammate Keshav Maharaj but after leading South Africa to its first ICC trophy in 27 years.
The first-ever Black Captain to win a global trophy for the Rainbow Nation -- probably the brightest colour in the VIBGYOR, the man, all of 63 inches vertically towered over an Australian team that has 10 ICC trophies.
But it is not just a victory of a cricket team but for all those Black South Africans, who have suffered during apartheid for years. Seeing their 'Little Big Man' who walked through that Lord's Long Room, entered the field, carried himself with utmost grace as he lifted the Golden mace.
When the next chapter of South Africa's social history in the post apartheid era will be written, Temba , Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi's names will be enshrined in gold. There will be Indian origin players like Maharaj and Senuran Muthusamy and white South Africans like Aiden Markram, David Bedingham and Tristan Stubbs.
"Here's an opportunity for us as a nation, divided as we are, to unite. You can be rest assured we'll celebrate as one," Temba told Nasser Hussain during presentation.
From lanes of black dominated Langa in Cape Town to the tavern around St John's Wood in upscale London, everyday for past 25 years, Bavuma had a point to prove. First he is good enough to play the game at the top level.
That he can represent South Africa at the international level. And even better, he can lead an eclectic mix of talent with poise and discretion that no one could have envisaged when he took over from Dean Elgar few years back.
If you dare to dream, then dream like the boy from Langa, who pushed the barriers of physical pain at Lord's.
"In Langa we had a four-way street. On the right-hand side of the street the tar wasn't done so nicely and we used to call it Karachi because the ball would bounce funny.
"The other side was the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) but my favourite section of the street was clean, and done up nicely, and we called it Lord's because it just looked better. So, as a kid of 10, I already had that dream of playing at Lord's," he had recently told the 'Guardian' before the World Test Championship final.
By the age of 11, Temba was on a sports scholarship after being identified as a special talent. As a sixth grader, he had once written an essay that found its pride of place in school magazine.
"I see myself in fifteen years in my suit and shaking (then SA president Thabo) Mr Mbeki's hand congratulating me for making the South African side," sixth-grader Temba, wrote in his submission.
"If I do I would definitely thank my coaches and parents who support me all the way and especially my two uncles who gave me the skills of being one (a Proteas representative)," he always knew what he wanted.
In exactly 15 years, he was playing for South Africa.
And if one knows his goal, the journey however difficult it might be, never looked improbable.
Ask anyone who has a torn hamstring, the pain becomes unbearable. He wasn't able to run the quick twos and threes and even head coach Shukri Conrad didn't want him to continue.
"To be honest, a lot of it came from him. He's led us from the front for the last two-three years. He didn't want to walk off the field yesterday, found a way to score really important runs, played an innings lot of people will remember," said hero of the final Aiden Markram.
When he was appointed the captain, there were voices down the corridors of South African cricket establishment that raised questions if he was deserving. His batting average was in early 30s but little did they think that with a game built on copious amount of patience and the grit that was on show on Friday, Temba would be averaging 57 plus as a batter when he captained South Africa.
But it is not his on-field achievements that makes him special but off-field connections that he has made over the years that makes him an endearing human being. One who believes in inclusivity.
He never had any ill feelings when Quinton de Kock didn't take a knee to support 'Black Lives Matter' movement. But in the last three years, he has shown how to take everyone along -- the Blacks, the Whites and the Coloured.
"The biggest word for me is inclusiveness, and guys are seeking excellence in everything they do. We are pushing each other, we are pushing the boundaries and we are trying to get better and better. There's openness in the team," he had told ESPN Cricinfo in an interview.
He runs a foundation which helps underprivileged children get education and chance to excel at sport like he did. He lives a quiet life with his wife Phila Lobi, a Real Estate Mogul and his child.
But when need be, he knows he has a standing and raises his voice for right reasons.
Temba Bavuma is certainly a captain on the field but more so a leader off it.
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