After 'Bauna' at Eden Gardens, a reminder that Temba Bavuma has heard it all before

South Africa captain Temba Bavuma (PTI Photo)

Temba Bavuma has spent his entire cricketing life carrying labels that had nothing to do with his skill. Two years ago, when New Balance appointed him as a brand ambassador, he fronted a moving campaign that captured the spirit of a man who has been called everything except what he truly is, a leader, a champion, a beacon of hope for many and one of South Africa’s most resolute cricketers.

This week at Eden Gardens, when stump mics picked up Jasprit Bumrah referring to Bavuma as “bauna bhi toh hai” while discussing a DRS call with Rishabh Pant, it felt like yet another addition to a long list of casual jibes that have followed him throughout his career. Height, race, quota, Bavuma has heard it all. And yet, his cricketing journey has consistently risen above pettiness, prejudice, and perceptions.

The New Balance promo from 2023 now feels even more relevant. Bavuma spoke directly, without bitterness, about the names he has been called: “I’ve been called a lot of names in my life. Some names hurt. Some of them are quite right.”

But the one he treasures, the one that defines him, is the name given by his grandmother, Temba, meaning hope. Hope for his community. Hope for his country.

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That message, simple, firm, dignified, revealed a man who has never sought sympathy. Instead, he has allowed his cricket to answer back. And what an answer it has been. Under Bavuma’s captaincy, South Africa have won 10 of the 11 Tests they’ve played, an extraordinary run that culminated in them becoming World Test Champions. This is not a leader defined by noise. This is a leader who defines eras.

And yet, the commentary around him often slips into old patterns. If he scores, he’s a surprise. If he fails, he becomes a target. If he leads, it’s attributed to the players around him. When the “bauna” comment went viral, much of the outrage was not just about a single remark but about the familiarity of it, how easily Bavuma becomes shorthand for something other than excellence.

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The Eden Gardens episode, in isolation, may have been heat-of-the-moment chatter. Players say far worse on a cricket field. But its sting lies in context, in decades of coded and not-so-coded insults that Bavuma has already lived through, endured, and outgrown.

The promo ended with a line that now feels like a gentle reprimand to the world: “If you’re looking for something to call me… just use my name, now that you know what it means.”

Hope. Determination. Leadership. That is Temba Bavuma, no matter what anyone else chooses to say.