Mumbai: Indian conditions are no longer foreign for South African, the nation’s skipper Faf Du Plessis has said.
Answering a query from Gulf News on how important it is for South Africa to acclimatise to the conditions in India and the prospects for his team, Du Plessis said: “We play a lot of cricket in India. The majority of the squad plays in IPL cricket, so no longer it is foreign condition for us. We know what to expect here.
Talking about the prospect of the team, our results speak for themselves over the last few series in the sub-continent. We played some really good cricket in these conditions, so although we are a little bit disappointed with our loss last night (Thursday, to Australia), we are very confident moving into this World Cup in these conditions. We know that if we play our best cricket, we will be there and take the trophy home.”
South Africa play India in a warm-up match on Saturday at the Wankhede Stadium and Du Plessis candidly admitted that the hosts are favourites for the World Cup.
“I do think that India will be favourites because of the form of the Indian team. It is a real open pool and there are no longer any easy games. Anyone can beat anyone any day in T20 cricket. We are looking forward to this competition and it will be a real cracker,” said Du Plessis, who is not bothered about the fact that his team hasn’t won a World Cup so far.
“T20 cricket is based on the day’s performance. It is how you carry yourself during the different pressure moments in the game. From the spectator point of view and the media point of view, there will once again be a lot said about us not winning. T20 cricket is quick on the field, there is a lot happening and there are so many moments in the game, that you can win or lose. We have shown over a period of time that we play better in pressure moments and we have done that well as a T20 team especially. So I would like to think we have got to overcome that hurdle mentally.”
Asked if any particular aspect of the team he is worried about, Du Plessis replied: “In the series against Australia, we tried to make sure that every area was covered and that is why the team changed a little bit every game. So as a captain I don’t feel worried, I feel that we have got a well-balanced team. I feel that it is the probably the most balanced squad we have had, and it is not the XI that is playing, we have got some real depth in our squad.”
And Du Plessis opined that the South Africa team is still made up of big names. “Look at guys like Hashim Amla in the previous game and also Dale Steyn is just back. So we have got some great names in our squad and guys are competing to get into the XI. Like I said, for the first time we have got a real great balance and every single area is covered.”
So does that mean he is confident the tag of chokers will finally be removed? “The only way you can ever get the monkey off your back is if you do win a trophy. I do think in T20 cricket, there is not much time to even think of stuff like that. But one day when that changes that is the only time people will stop asking that question. For now, this team has not been thinking about that all. We are just trying to play some good cricket. The important thing for me in the build-up to this World Cup, like I said, has been in the real pressure moments when the team has stood up and done well. Anyway, you can get rid of that when you manage to perform under pressure. For me it is about our preparation, which has been really good and then if it happens, hopefully we will have to stop answering the question.”
