Cricket
Exclusive: Facing India No Different Than Any Other Team, Says Former Proteas Star Behardien
Former Proteas star Farhaan Behardien shares his thoughts on the South Africa vs. India T20I series, stressing that facing India is no different than any other team. He emphasizes the importance of a winning culture to satisfy fans and sponsors. Cricket betting enthusiasts will be closely following the series.
Image Credits: Chris Hyde/Getty Images
Following the series defeats in the Caribbean and the UAE this year, former Proteas batter Farhaan Behardien has reiterated that the South African public wants to watch a winning team as the Proteas host India for four T20Is.
THE OCCASION OF PLAYING INDIA
Suryakumar Yadav and his young India T20I team have arrived in South Africa for the upcoming four-match series.
Yadav and his troops are here to challenge captain Aiden Markram's young Proteas T20I side in a series that will test the strength of the two country's pipelines.
Following the retirements of stalwarts and former captains Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma this year, the Indian T20I team is going through a transition phase.
Similarly, with Proteas superstars Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Quinton de Kock and Anrich Nortje not included in the upcoming series, South Africa have their fair share of fresh faces in the squad as the likes of Mihlali Mpongwana and Andile Simelane have joined the squad.
Despite the inexperience in the two squads, an India series always guarantees packed stadiums, draws interest from major broadcasters and interest from the media all around the world.
However, former Proteas middle-order batter, Farhaan Behardien, reckons that playing India is not different to playing any other nation.
With almost 100 international games under his belt including the 2015 ODI World Cup, Behardien has all the experience in the world, and he is adamant that the Proteas players, experienced or inexperienced, will be able to handle the pressure.
"(Playing against India) is no different to playing against any other nation. I don't think we felt that the occasion was any bigger," Behardien told SportsBoom.com in an exclusive interview.
"When you're representing your country, whether you're playing Australia, New Zealand or England, it doesn't matter. I don't there was any difference when you're playing against them.”
Yes, the grounds might be full, but a lot of the guys have played in the IPL and in World Cups which means the occasion is no different. It's just another day.
Farhaan Behardien
COASTAL VERSUS HIGHVELD CONDITIONS
The series will get underway in the coast in Durban and Port Elizabeth on Friday and Sunday respectively, before it concludes in the highveld in Pretoria and Johannesburg next week.
These parts of the country carry different conditions to one another. In the coast, Durban and Port Elizabeth, the wickets tend to be a lot slower and conducive to spin, while in the highveld the wickets are faster and bouncier.
Despite the different conditions, Behardien emphasised that the modern game is so advanced that the conditions will most likely not affect the nature of the games.
The 41-year-old did include that the Proteas playing XI might differ in the coast and the highveld due to the conditions.
"I think in today's game, it doesn't even matter where you play. The batters hit big, and the ball gets hit further. I don't think the highveld versus coastal conditions matter anymore in this day and age. The bats are different, the guys are stronger and fitter," said Behardien.
I just think there might be a couple of extra spinners in Durban and PE, and then in Joburg and Pretoria, there might be an extra seamer. But India always plays with two spinners no matter where they go, that's just their armour and how they operate
Farhaan Behardien
WINNING IS MORE IMPORTANT
This is an important series for the Proteas given that they have struggled in bilateral series of late as they lost two series in the West Indies this year and drew against Ireland in the UAE last month.
These results were mostly a result of the young players that played in those series as the Proteas management looked to widen the player pool while resting the seasoned campaigners such as Rabada.
For this series, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee have come back into the squad and will be available for the series.
Behardien believes that the strongest team should play more often than not and that fringe players have to wait their turn and keep developing their games in domestic cricket.
"The crowd, supporters and sponsors want to see a winning side. It bodes well and it shows that somethings are working and that we care about the game. That's just my opinion.”
"I would like us to win more often than not, play our best side more often than not and blood the guys slowly in, one or two guys. That's how I think about it. The (fringe) players can wait. There's so much cricket going on. They must develop their games.”
"It's not about blooding in the youngsters, it's about building on a couple of good red ball series in the West Indies and Bangladesh. We just have to build some stats in terms of winning, that's what the public wants.”
"I'm looking forward to seeing how we can play in different conditions because we play in Durban, PE, Pretoria and Joburg. To see how we can win a series on our home grounds and in front of our home fans."
Ongama Gcwabe is an experienced Sports Journalist based in South Africa. In his career, Ongama’s work has been published in the country’s biggest newspapers company, Independe Newspapers, and some of the leading news and sports websites including IOL Sport.