On the day 1 of the World Test Championship final, the South Africa captain, Temba Bavuma, did some Rahul Dravid antics, and the crowd cheered it. At the Lord's Cricket Ground, while facing the Australian pace, Bavuma dead-batted 30 odd times on the trot before scoring his first run of the match. And as he ran for the two runs, the crowd joyously cheered for him. Watch the video here: pic.twitter.com/nhJnpnRsFC — Birdman (@kingbirdman22) June 11, 2025 31 balls of survival — and finally, a run! 😬Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma breaks the shackles, but Aussie pacers continue to dominate at Lord’s. 🇦🇺⚡#WTCFinal #TembaBavuma #AUSvSA pic.twitter.com/Yaxu3p8rUr — Root Jaiswal (@JaiswalRoot) June 11, 2025 Why Rahul Dravid? Back in 2008, his innings at Sydney became famous, mostly for nudging 40 balls to get a run. Even though he already had 18 runs in his pocket, his grit earned him a standing ovation from the Sydney crowd. Steve Smith's run of dot balls made us think of another famous SCG dry spell - this time it was Rahul Dravid's 40 consecutive dots in 2008!#AUSvNZ #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/xArETgVYVq — cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 3, 2020 Read also: Glenn Maxwell Named Captain of Washington Freedom for MLC 2025 SA falls in front of gritty Bavuma What initially appeared to be a modest total from Australia turned into a statement by their bowlers on a dramatic Day 1 at Lord’s. Bowled out for 212 despite fifties from Smith and Webster, Australia’s innings never quite took off, with Rabada’s fiery 5 for 51 exposing a reshaped top order. At one point, Smith looked set to script another Lord’s classic, but his dismissal to Markram’s part-time spin triggered a collapse — five wickets for just 20 runs. However, any doubts about the total evaporated quickly once Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood took the ball. South Africa, chasing control, crumbled to 43 for 4 by stumps. While Bavuma stood firm at one end, the other side kept falling like dominos — Mulder and Co. offered little resistance. The final session flipped the script — what seemed below-par became daunting. This World Test Championship final might not need all five days.