South African batsman David Bedingham has spoken out about his desire to return to cricket after being involved in a horrible vehicle accident in 2016. He was out of commission for a year as a result of the tragedy.
Speaking ahead of the second Test against India, which will be played at his home field of Newlands in Cape Town, the 29-year-old said that everything feels weird.
Bedingham had an outstanding Test debut against India at SuperSport Park in Centurion, striking a gutsy 56 off 87 balls in the Proteas innings and leading the team to a 32-run victory.
The right-handed hitter has played 87 first-class matches and scored 6047 runs at an average of 49.56.
Bedingham was reported in a PTI article as stating the emotions of playing a home Test after everything he has been through:
It won’t matter much to his family or my friends whether I score runs or not. But even simply stepping out there will be memorable.
It’s strange to be playing the game here after coming to watch in prior years. My pals are all buzzing me for tickets, not to find out if I’m playing or not.
I believe I have been through a lot. It may sound corny, but given where I was in 2016 and where I am today, the opportunity to play a Test match at Newlands is extremely wonderful.
Having my parents, who have been through a lot, here? I owe them a lot for not finishing my education, he continued.
In the first Test against India, Bedingham batted at No. 5 and shared a 131-run fourth-wicket partnership with Dean Elgar (185).
David Bedingham spoke about dealing with pressures during his time at Durham
Bedingham played for the English county Durham, where he had the opportunity to connect with England Test captain Ben Stokes.
He said that advice from the world-class player had helped him deal with pressure better.
I believe we chatted a lot. I believe he avoided talking about cricket a lot.
He spoke about coping with pressures, and talking to a world-class player like him helped him handle the pressure better during the first Test, Bedingham said of his discussions with Stokes.
He explained why he had to play more than 85 first-class games before making his Test debut:
“Every event occurs for a purpose. It would have been fine if my Test debut had occurred five years ago, but I have played so much First-Class cricket that I am familiar with the ups and downs. It better prepares you for Test cricket.”
Bedingham has also appeared in 40 List A and 55 T20 matches, totaling 1,470 and 1,014 runs.
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