South Africa is anticipated to present a formidable challenge to the youthful Indian side in the upcoming T20I series. However, Captain Suryakumar Yadav expressed on Saturday that the prospect of delivering an exceptional performance outside their “comfort zone” should serve as motivation for the players. The first T20I of the three-match series is scheduled against South Africa on Sunday.
“When you go outside India, you’re always out of your comfort zone, and when you do exceptionally well in unfamiliar conditions, it resonates loudly and encourages the boys. So, I’m really looking forward to the series,” said Suryakumar during his pre-match press conference.
Backing his inexperienced squad to exhibit character against a challenging opposition, Suryakumar highlighted the expressive and fearless nature of the players in T20s. “The guys I am watching right now in T20s are very expressive, very fearless. They aren’t afraid of failure. I have that attitude. Whatever happens, if they do well or if they don’t get runs on that given day, their attitude remains the same. I think that balance is really important, and I have just told them to enjoy this format, just be yourself,” said Suryakumar.
Citing examples of Rinku Singh and Jitesh Sharma, pivotal contributors to the home series win against Australia, Suryakumar emphasized the importance of maintaining a consistent approach. “Rinku and Jitesh have the opportunity to bat in the same slot for India as their state or IPL teams. I have told them to do what they have been doing for those teams. They did exactly that against Australia, showing character in tough situations,” he noted.
Acknowledging the challenge posed by the bounce and pace on South African pitches, Suryakumar expressed confidence in his team’s ability to adapt. “The key to success on such wickets will be to be yourself. We’ve played on all fast tracks in India, and everyone is really equipped for it. Regarding the strokes for the batsmen, they’ve already batted on these kinds of wickets, and I’m sure they will enjoy playing in South Africa,” he said.
Looking ahead to the T20 World Cup 2024, with only six more T20Is in the pipeline, Suryakumar downplayed concerns about the limited number of matches. “There are only limited T20s before the T20 WC. But then we play 14 league games in the IPL, and players have already played a lot of games and have a lot of experience under their belt. So, I don’t think there’ll be an issue when selecting the squad (for WC) because everyone knows their role really well,” he explained.
Elevated to the role of India T20I captain following Hardik Pandya’s injury, Suryakumar expressed his enjoyment of the experience and expressed a desire to replicate the success achieved in the last series against Australia in the upcoming series in South Africa.
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