South Africa are set to face heavyweights India in the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 in Barbados on Saturday (June 29).
On the eve of the title clash, Proteas skipper Aiden Markram expressed confidence in his team’s ability to overcome any challenge.
Markram played down the historical baggage surrounding South Africa's performance in knockouts as he highlighted the team's recent improvement.
"Probably, I just see it as a new game of cricket, to be honest. We all know India's a great team. Us as a team, as South Africans, have been sort of trending in the right direction the last couple of years, but maybe not progressed in tournaments as far as we would have liked. So, an exciting occasion tomorrow against a good opposition in India, but a nice opportunity for us as the Proteas as well," said Markram, as quoted by PTI.
The South African side had a roller-caster journey to the final. They narrowly escaped defeats against lower-ranked teams like Nepal and Bangladesh, and played a tense match against the West Indies.
However, Markram believes that multiple close wins have forged a resilient spirit within the team.
"There have been close moments in games that would have probably affected the result and we managed to win those moments. To have done them two, three, maybe four times throughout the competition so far has sort of given the team the belief that you can win from any position, which I think is quite important for a team to have that," he added.
Markram stressed that irrespective of the outcome in the summit clash, South Africa's recent performances indicate a positive trajectory. However, he reiterated the team's unwavering hunger for victory, emphasizing their collective desire to rewrite history by lifting the coveted World Cup trophy.
Even logistical challenges, such as a seven-hour flight delay, have been taken positively by the entire team.
"There's no point sulking around and making it more miserable than what it might already seem to be. So, it was a slightly longer day yesterday (laughs)," Markram stated.
"I think there's no sense that the guys are satisfied regardless of the result tomorrow. I think there's still a massive hunger for us to go out and win tomorrow's game," he concluded.
(With PTI Inputs)
