ENG vs SA: South Africa captain Temba Bavuma excited to play at 'idol' Sachin Tendulkar's home ground in Mumbai

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ENG vs SA: South Africa captain Temba Bavuma has expressed his excitement at the prospect of playing at his idol Sachin Tendulkar's home ground in Mumbai. Notably, South Africa are set to lock horns against England at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday, October 21.

In the pre-match press-conference, Bavuma revealed that growing up he idolised Sachin Tendulkar and heard a lot about Wankhede Stadium. He added that playing at Tendulkar's home ground was on his bucket list.

"Yeah, I think for me, growing up, idolizing a guy like Sachin Tendulkar, Wankhede was a stadium you always heard about. So, to have that opportunity to be playing, that's another tick off my list as a cricketer," Bavuma said.

Temba Bavuma further talked about the batting-friendly nature of the Wankhede surface. The skipper opened up about his chat with two former Mumbai Indians (MI) players Quinton de Kock and JP Duminy who have a lot of experience playing in Mumbai.

"The guys that have played here, JP Duminy, Quinton, they've spoken about how it can be a batter's paradise. You get value for your shots and the ball seems to travel further," Temba Bavuma said.

"So, I think as batters it can build a lot of confidence. And if it is your day, you can fill your boots. And I guess just the atmosphere of it all, it being a full ground, it can really be something to enjoy. I think our real assessment will happen on the day. We'll see what's happening there, and then try to put our best foot forward," Bavuma added.

South Africa and England both are entering the match on the back of shock defeats. South Africa faced a defeat against Netherlands in Dharamsala, while Afghanistan stunned defending champions England in Delhi.