Proteas star says Temba Bavuma was 'missed' for 2nd ODI: 'He is our leader'

Proteas batter Aiden Markram said their regular captain Temba Bavuma was missed as they slipped to a seven-wicket defeat in the second ODI against India in Ranchi on Sunday.

Bavuma, along with crack left-arm wrist-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi, missed the second game with what Cricket South Africa called a "mild infection".

Markram, who once captained the ODI team in a series against India in 2018, said it wasn't worth risking the duo with the T20 World Cup in Australia around the corner.

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"I'll be very honest, I don't actually know. I know they were feeling slightly unwell in the morning," Markram said.

"With the T20 World Cup around the corner, you don't want to take unnecessary risks. We missed him [Bavuma] out there in the game. He's our leader.

"The guys gave their best and we've got no doubt that the guys will come back stronger."

Markram, who still hasn't quite come to grips with the demands of 50-Over batting at the highest level, got over his Kuldeep Yadav yips to make an excellent 79.

Stand-in captain Keshav Maharaj won the toss and batted, but excellent bowling at the start and the back-end for India kept South Africa to 278.

Markram was aided by Reeza Hendricks's 76-ball 74, while cameos from first ODI heroes David Miller (35* off 34) and Heinrich Klaasen (30 off 26) gave SA's bowlers something to defend.

Markram admitted they were short of what they deemed to be defendable, but added that Miller's struggles, despite his purple patch, spoke of the difficult conditions and India's excellent bowling.

"I thought the wicket was drier and we put up a score that we thought was at least 15-20 short of what was ideal," Markram said.

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