'Biggest match of the competition': Shukri Conrad on India clash
What's the story
South Africa's head coach Shukri Conrad is gearing up for his first white-ball tournament as the team's leader. He will be facing India in the opening match of their Super Eight stage at the T20 World Cup. Conrad described this encounter as "the biggest match of the competition thus far," and is looking forward to it with great enthusiasm.
Game plan
Group stage was most nerve-wracking for Conrad
Conrad spoke about the three phases of tournament cricket, saying the group stage was the most nerve-wracking for him. Now that South Africa has made it through, he is excited to take on India first and then West Indies. He said, "You've got to find a way of just getting out of that group stage. So we did that."
Match pressure
Match against Zimbabwe could also be crucial
The South African team will end their Super Eight campaign against Zimbabwe, though their fate in the tournament could already be decided by that time. The upcoming five days in Ahmedabad are expected to be extremely intense as a packed crowd is likely to witness the match. Conrad acknowledged this by saying, "Pressure is a big thing but it's pressure both for us and them."
Tactical approach
South Africa might change their bowling strategy against India
Conrad hinted at a possible change in South Africa's bowling strategy against India, especially considering their left-handed batsmen. He said, "The match-ups can be overstated. I'm not a big fan of it." This comes after Abhishek Sharma's poor form with the bat and his absence from India's second match due to illness.
Tournament pressure
World Cup pressure different from bilateral series pressure
Conrad also spoke about the pressure of the World Cup, which he believes is different from bilateral series. He said, "Prior to the World Cup, people were talking of scoring 300 plusses and all sorts of things but generally with World Cups there is a lot more at stake." This pressure could affect teams like India who are under constant scrutiny to perform well in such high-stakes tournaments.
Past experience
Previous tour of India helped South Africa prepare well
Conrad also spoke about how their previous tour of India helped them prepare for this match. He said, "That tour gave us a really good insight as to what we could be up against." Despite losing the T20I series 3-1, he feels they are well-prepared for the challenges ahead in this tournament.