Former captain Graeme Smith has labelled the decision to have vice-captain Temba Bavuma represent the Proteas at toss for the third and final Test against India in Ranchi ‘quirky and pathetic’.

Bavuma, rather than captain Faf du Plessis, was involved in the flip of the coin. Du Plessis hasn’t won a toss in a Test away from home in six consecutive attempts. Opposition skipper Virat Kohli won the toss – and India have since amassed 497-9 on the back of opening batsman Rohit Sharma’s double-century.

New issue: Bavuma – one size fits all

‘It was a quirky moment, but for me, it was a little bit pathetic,’ Smith said during a commentary stint for Star Sports.

‘It just shows the mindset of the South African side. I didn’t enjoy seeing that. I would rather see the South Africa captain stand there and own his position.

‘You know, they are looking at the wrong places for the reasons they have lost games. Unfortunately, they haven’t played well enough. Yes, winning the toss on the subcontinent is a nice thing to do, but if you play well enough, you can still compete.’

The home side boast an unassailable 2-0 series lead after comfortable victories in the first Test in Visakhapatnam and second in Pune.

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