Delhi: After South Africa suffered a 0-2 defeat against New Zealand in February 2024, hardly anyone expected the Proteas to make it to the final of the World Test Championship (WTC). But, Temba Bavuma and his team have proved all the expectations wrong and have made it to the WTC finals. They will face Australia in the final starting from June 11 at Lord's, where they can win their first ICC trophy.

Hindustan Times spoke to Temba Bavuma. During this, he shared his opinion on the WTC final and the match against Australia.

'Playing against Australia is difficult and exciting'

The South African captain said, “I think it will be a tough match. Playing against Australia is always difficult and exciting. It forces you to perform at your best. The number 1 and number 2 teams will face each other, which indicates that these are two best teams. Australia's bowling attack is strong and full of experience. He also has experience in the team, and he will take advantage of it. Our team is relatively new, but we have match-winners. Our bowling lineup has changed several times, but we have confidence in our players that they will perform for the team.

Some individual matches will also be exciting, like between Rabada and Steve Smith, Pat Cummins and Aiden Markram. This clash will definitely make the match more interesting.

Reaction to the team being considered an underdog

On the team being considered an underdog, Bavuma said, “Yes, perhaps people have reasons to consider us an underdog. When we started our WTC journey, many people wrote us off. But, winning seven consecutive Tests is not easy. At the same time, a team like Australia, which is the current champion, can consider itself a strong contender. Our team has worked hard to reach this point, and now our entire focus is on winning the final.”