Crunch clash: SA and India brace for battle at T20 World Cup
· Citizen
Both teams are expecting a hard-fought battle when South Africa face India in their first Super Eight match at the T20 World Cup in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
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Though they put up a fight against India at the last edition of the T20 showpiece, when they lost by seven runs in the final, the Proteas were crushed by 30 runs in their warm-up match against the title holders ahead of the ongoing showpiece.
After both sides went unbeaten in the group stages, Proteas seam bowler Corbin Bosch said the SA team were wary of every single player in India’s line-up.
“I think their whole batting line-up is quite destructive, so [we will focus on] all of them, all of their batters,” Bosch said.
India bracing themselves
And though they will fancy their chances in front of their home crowd this weekend, India all-rounder Shivam Dube said they were not getting ahead of themselves as they geared up to face an in-form Proteas squad.
“I don’t want to say we are very confident because as a team we are thinking about the next match,” Dube said.
“We are not thinking that we are going to qualify and then we are going to play in the semifinals or final.
“As a team everyone is very confident and they are backing themselves, and it’s just about being ready for South Africa, playing well and giving 100% on that day.”
Tough choices for Proteas
While the Proteas had been solid with the bat thus far, and they were unlikely to sway from their first-choice players, their bowling line-up had not been as consistent and head coach Shukri Conrad had some decisions to make with regards to who would face India.
Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada had not been as destructive or reliable as usual, and after Anrich Nortje grabbed two wickets when he was given a chance in their last game, Conrad must be considering sticking with the speedster.
Finding the right balance between the seam attack and spin options could also be key, depending on conditions.
Time to gather themselves
The Proteas had also been unusually sloppy with their fielding in their last match of the group stages against United Arab Emirates, and captain Aiden Markram was pleased they had a few days to work on that and consider who would be included in the match XI for the crunch clash.
“Fortunately, we have a little bit of time before the first Super Eight game, which is good for the group. It’s about really backing the strengths to the hilt,” the skipper said.
The game between South Africa and India starts at 3.30pm on Sunday.