Temba Bavuma breaks silence after ‘Bauna’ comment, reveals Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah have apologized

An on-field comment involving Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant and South Africa captain Temba Bavuma during the first Test of India’s recent home series has come into focus after Bavuma openly spoke about it.

The incident happened during the Test match at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. India appealed for an LBW and Bumrah tried to convince Pant to go for a review.

During that conversation, Bumrah and Pant mentioned Bavuma ‘Bauna’, a Hindi word related to short height. Bumrah suggested that the ball had not hit Bavuma high, using the word while speaking to Pant.

The comment did not go unnoticed. Clips and reports quickly spread on social media, sparking fierce criticism from fans. Many accused the Indian players of body shaming Bavuma during a live Test match.

Bavuma later spoke about the episode in his column for ESPNcricinfo. He revealed that both Pant and Bumrah came to him and apologized after the incident.

“For my part, I know there was an incident where they said something about me in their language,” Bavuma wrote. “At the end of the day, two senior players, Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah, came to apologize.”

Bavuma said he was initially confused by the apology. He had not heard the comment at the time and did not know what it referred to. Only later, after speaking to the South African media manager, did he understand the full context.

“When the apology was made, I didn’t know what it was about,” Bavuma added. “I hadn’t heard about it at the time and I had to contact our media manager about it.”

Despite the backlash and criticism, Bavuma made it clear that he did not hold any grudges. Instead, he chose to turn the moment into motivation.

“What happens on the field stays on the field, but you don’t forget what is said,” he wrote. “You use it as fuel and motivation, but there isn’t necessarily any resentment.”

That mentality seemed to work for South Africa. Under Bavuma’s captaincy, they delivered a historic performance by beating India 2-0 in the Test series.

It was South Africa’s first Test series win in India in 25 years, a result that surprised many and underlined Bavuma’s calm leadership.

The episode also reopened the debate over sledging in cricket, where verbal exchanges are common. Many felt this comment crossed a line, while others pointed to Bavuma’s apology and response as the right way to move forward.