Team will look to be ruthless: SA skipper Bavuma

South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma promised his team will be ruthless in the second Test here and not play it safe even though a draw will be enough for his side to clinch the series 1-0.

“Ultimately, in every game, you have to play to win. It’s not about protecting the lead that we have. We want to play from the front and continue to do so,” said Bavuma, who is yet to lose a Test as skipper.

“We will play what is in front of us. We don’t want to go in there with that defensive type of mindset. Whatever opportunities are there within the game, we will look to be ruthless and take them,” said Bavuma.

Sharing his thoughts on the pitch, Bavum felt the strip at the ACA Stadium appeared more like a traditional sub-continent surface and did not expect any unpleasant surprises.

“This wicket looks a lot fresher and will be more consistent in terms of variability (bounce) compared to Kolkata. We will have another look in the morning and decide (the XI).”

“I think it will be more of a traditional subcontinent wicket – good for batting in the first two days, and then from Day 3, the spinners should come into play. So I think all the fundamentals that come with playing in the subcontinent [would be needed],” he added.