Bavuma's clutch performance ends 15-year drought

PROTEAS captain Temba Bavuma may be a little man, but he certainly is the one for the big moments.

- ZAAHIER ADAMS

Bavuma had brought back left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj into the attack after Aiden Markram had produced a golden-arm three-over spell. The match-up was not in Maharaj's favour with left-hander Axar Patel still at the crease, but Bavuma was backing his gut feel.

The first ball was dispatched to the leg-side boundary where Ryan Rickelton lost sight of it in the vast Eden Gardens crowd. Worse was to follow with Patel swiping two heaving sixes off Maharaj's next three deliveries to send the home crowd into a frenzy. India's target was whittled down to 30 runs within four balls.

All eyes were on Bavuma.

Had the skipper erred in tossing the ball to Maharaj? Had the momentum switched back in the favour of the home team?

Patel though wanted another piece of his fellow left-arm spinner Maharaj. He attacked again, but this time the ball went spiralling into the Kolkata smog with Bavuma the closest fielder in sight. The skipper ran back, and with 1.6 billion people all around India baying for him not to get there, he threw out his arms, to hold on to a clutch catch to dismiss Patel.

Maharaj needed just one further delivery to have Mohammad Siraj caught at slip to complete the most memorable of victories for the Proteas.