India face South Africa in their upcoming T20 World Cup fixture in Ahmedabad on Saturday. For both sides, it will be a rematch of the 2024 T20 World Cup final, which India won. Meanwhile, for Conrad Shukri, it is his first white-ball competition as South Africa’s head coach. The 58-year-old feels the co-hosts are favourites to win the match but are under a lot of pressure, which could prove advantageous for the Proteas.
“There’s so much scrutiny, especially in a side like India. They’re going to be under a lot of pressure to make the semi-finals and obviously go on and make the finals as well. Hopefully, we can expose them and make them vulnerable under that pressure,” he said.
South Africa also toured India last year, where they lost the five-match T20I series 3-1. Claiming that the series has helped his side prepare for the game, he said, “That tour gave us a really good insight as to what we could be up against. That tour prepped us really well in terms of the hostility, the fervour that’s being built up around Sunday, where we could have 130,000 people crammed into the stadium, and they’re going to be in blue. But Sunday is just one of the few matches that we have to win to get through, and we’re as well prepared as we can be.”
“Pressure is a big thing but it’s pressure both for us and them. I think we all talk about the pressure of playing against the top side, but we’re not quite aware of what the pressures they are under.”
The Proteas have been in good form in the ongoing tournament and began their campaign with a 57-run victory against Canada, followed by a double Super Over win against Afghanistan. To prove their title contender credentials, they beat New Zealand by seven wickets in their third game, followed by a six-wicket victory in their final group stage game against UAE.
