South Africa’s Test captain Temba Bavuma has steadily built a reputation for resilience, clarity and quiet determination, and on November 16, he added a remarkable achievement to his journey. His team’s victory over India in Kolkata not only ended a long drought of away success but also placed him in the history books as the fastest captain ever to win 10 Test matches.
South Africa defended a modest target of 124 runs at Eden Gardens, bowling India out for just 93 in their second innings. It was a significant moment for the Proteas, marking their first Test win on the Indian soil since February 2010. The result also strengthened Temba Bavuma’s extraordinary record as captain.
Having taken charge of the Test side in February 2023 against the West Indies in Centurion, Temba Bavuma began his leadership tenure with an 87-run win. He followed it up with another dominant performance in Johannesburg, where his team triumphed by 274 runs. Since then, his consistency has been unmatched.
Out of the 11 Tests he has captained, he has won 10, making him the quickest to reach the milestone. The previous best belonged to Australia’s Lindsay Hassett and England’s Ben Stokes, who each took 12 matches to reach 10 wins.
Temba Bavuma’s success has been central to South Africa’s strong showing in the 2023–25 World Test Championship cycle. He has won seven of the eight WTC Tests he has captained, with five of those victories coming at home. Yet what makes his record even more striking is that he has still not lost a Test as captain. The only match he didn’t win was a draw against the West Indies in Port of Spain in August 2024.
Within the ongoing WTC, Temba Bavuma stands apart as the only captain to remain unbeaten after leading in more than 10 matches. While players like Steve Smith and Ajinkya Rahane also boast undefeated WTC captaincy runs, their stints have been far shorter.
For Temba Bavuma, the Kolkata win was more than just another victory, it was a continuation of a leadership story defined by discipline, faith in his team and an ability to deliver results under pressure. As he adds new chapters to his career, he has already carved out a legacy that few captains in Test cricket have managed to match.
