'Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah came and apologised' - Temba Bavuma breaks silence on 'Bauna' remark during India tour

Temba Bavuma was referred to as 'Bauna', which is typically used for people of short height, by Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant during the first Test match against South Africa at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, last month.

This incident took place after Bumrah wrapped Bavuma on the pads and went up in appeal. However, the umpire remained unmoved. The Indian speedster went towards wicketkeeper and stand-in captain Rishabh Pant and urged him to go for a review. When Pant suggested that the ball hit Bavuma above his knee roll, Bumrah tried to convince him by referencing the South African captain's height.

This sparked massive controversy as fans slammed Pant and Bumrah, accusing them of body shaming a fellow cricketer. Recently, Bavuma opened up on the incident, saying that the Indian duo apologised to him soon after. The right-handed batter revealed that he wasn't aware of the reason behind the apology back then, and South Africa's media manager later explained the matter to him.

“I know from my side there was an incident where they said something in their language about me. At the end of the day two senior players, Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah, came and apologised. When the apology was made, I was in the dark about what it was about, I hadn’t heard it at the time and I needed to check in with our media manager about it," Bavuma wrote in his column for ESPNcricinfo.

Bavuma said that he holds no grudges against Pant and Bumrah but admitted that he used their comments as a source of motivation for the rest of the series.

"What happens on the field, stays on the field but you don’t forget what is said. You use it as fuel and motivation, but there are no grudges per se,” he added.

Bavuma etched his name in the history books, becoming the first captain to lead the Proteas to a Test series win in India after 25 years. The tourists whitewashed the Asian giants 2-0.