Proteas captain Temba Bavuma believes South Africa answered the biggest question asked of them after their heavy defeat in Durban by showing the character and mentality required to level the series against Australia at St George’s Park on Thursday.

The Proteas now head to the series deciding contest at Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town having completed an emphatic innings-and-31-run victory on Thursday, needing to bat only once after declaring on 425/9 in the dying embers of day three in Gqeberha.

The tourists were bowled out for 99 in their first innings, but offered a considerably better account of themselves second time around, reaching 295 all out, as Travis Head making 121 alongside a heroic 40 from 166 balls by Scott Boland.

For Bavuma, though, the significance of the victory went beyond the result.

It was the response to the questions that followed the 214-run defeat in the opening Test that mattered most.

“I think it was very much a spirited effort from us.”

“I think a lot was asked of us after our first time test in Durban. I think the biggest one was the character or the mentality of the team and I think over the course of these [last] five days we've definitely spoken well to that,” he told the media at Thursday's post-match press conference.

SA were hardly in control when they resumed their first innings at 110/6, having been reduced to 40/4 earlier in the innings after the rain-affected opening two days.

Bavuma’s career-best 179, supported by Marco Jansen’s 85 and Simon Harmer’s 82 lifted the hosts to 425/9 before unleashing their bowlers on the Aussie batters.

The captain felt the ability to stay focused amid the interruptions and changing conditions was another important part of the response.

“Even today, day five, the weather wanted to have a big say,” he said.

“We have our plans. We try to stick as close as we can to that. We obviously adapt to what is happening but individually, we know how we go about our business.

The return of Kagiso Rabada strengthened an attack that had been without one of its leaders in Durban, although the skipper was quick to stress that the victory was built around collective contributions.

He singled out Rabada’s influence, as well as Jansen’s five-wicket haul in Australia’s first innings and Wiaan Mulder’s crucial contributions on the final afternoon.

“He's massive value on and off the field. When he's on the field, he assumes that responsibility and pressure of leading the attack, and I believe it allows everyone else to do what they need to do.”

“That's what a leader does, right? KG's not a big guy in terms of speeches. He'll speak whenever he sees fit, but with the figure that he is, you know, he is inspiring in a lot of ways,” Bavuma said.

The victory also means hosts carry momentum into next week’s decider at Newlands, where the series will be decided.

“I think it'll be massive. I think the way that we bounce back, I guess again that word resilience, that's going to be thrown around there again in terms of our mentality as South Africans and the team,” he said.

The Herald