- Proteas captain Temba Bavuma insists his main focus is on leading the South African side as they tour India for a white-ball series.
- Bavuma returns to the national set-up after recovering from an elbow injury.
- Bavuma adds he'll put the disappointment of the SA20 snub behind him.
Proteas captain Temba Bavuma says he will put all distractions aside and insists his main focus is on leading the national team against India.
The Proteas are in India for a white-ball series and will use the T20 series as build-up for next month's World Cup in Australia.
Bavuma has been in the spotlight since his notable snub at last week's SA20 auction in Cape Town.
The limited-overs skipper makes a welcome return to the Proteas set-up after recovering from an elbow injury, which kept him out of action since June.
Bavuma admitted he was disappointed after being snubbed during the SA20 auction. He will be looking to prove a point in three T20Is against India, starting in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday.
READ | If Bavuma's T20 strike-rate under scrutiny, so should De Kock's runs
In a pre-match press conference, Bavuma told reporters he'll forget about the SA20 snub and instead focus on the Proteas.
"I tried to put those things behind me. My biggest focus is on the role I have and serve the team as best as I can," Bavuma said on Tuesday.
"Make sure the guys are in the best place possible for the World Cup. All the other distractions and sideshows that's something I'll deal on a personal level but now being with the team. As I'm wearing the shirt, it'll be to lead the team as best as I can."
Bavuma insisted all his energy would be on the Proteas and getting them ready for next month's T20 World Cup.
"My focus is on the team, I'm still the captain and I'll lead and serve the team as best as I can," said Bavuma.
"The focus for me is on the World Cup and making sure that we're [in] the best space possible. Everything else, I'm trying not to give much attention or energy. At the moment, it's to serve the team as best as I can."
Play on Wednesday starts at 15:30 (SA time).
T20 squads:
India
Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Dinesh Karthik (wk), R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Umesh Yadav, Harshal Patel, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Shahbaz Nadeem, Shreyas Iyer
South Africa
Temba Bavuma (captain), Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Rilee Rossouw, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Bjorn Fortuin, Marco Jansen, Andile Phehlukwayo