Proteas white-ball captain Temba Bavuma says his focus is on getting into the right frame of mind for the next few months of competitive cricket despite being disappointed about going unsold at the SA20 player auction.

The Proteas start a busy few months on Friday, when they jet off to India for a six-match white-ball series (three T20s and three ODIs), before heading to Australia for final preparations and two warm-up matches ahead of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in October.

Diminutive right-hand batsman Bavuma, who captains the T20 and 50-over national sides, was left out in the cold after none of the six franchises for the all-new domestic SA20 tournament placed a bid for him at Monday’s auction in Cape Town.

The snub had cricket fraternity tongues wagging, with arguments made for and against his inclusion in the lucrative tournament that starts in January.

Bavuma said he had tried to shield himself from the noise by not placing too much focus on what was being said. Rather, he was concentrating on his game. 

He spent the past few days with the touring squad in Cape Town for team-building activities, including a visit to Robben Island, before they travel to the subcontinent.

Now his primary focus is the series in India before SA tackle the global tournament in Australia.

“The biggest thing for me is to serve the team as best I can. I still have the responsibility of being the captain, the leader of the team, so I will endeavour to do that as best as I can, and as I believe I have been doing over the last couple of months.

“All of the other things I will deal with on a personal level. I am not going to sit here and say this is what I want to prove.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn't have any feelings of disappointment,” the 32-year-old said.

“One would have expected to play a role in the tournament, but as I said, it is not just myself, it is Andile [Phehlukwayo] as well, a guy who has been playing the white-ball format for several years for SA.

“[I have] feelings of almost being let down in a way and I don’t think that comes from any point of entitlement from my side.

“I have to caution myself from delving too deep into it. As much I would like to speak more about the issue, now is probably not the right time.”

The skipper, who returns to the national fold after missing close to three months due to an elbow injury, said he was looking forward to getting back on the park.