Share

India in Proteas' sights

Melbourne - The Proteas began their preparations for their second ICC Cricket World Cup match against India with a light optional training session at the Junction Oval in Melbourne on Wednesday.

The squad was fresh after a day off in Melbourne on Tuesday, and looked eager to begin their preparations ahead of the showdown on Sunday.  

JP Duminy says the Proteas have taken a lot of confidence from their 62-run win against Zimbabwe, and personally feels his innings has given him an understanding of what it takes to succeed in pressure situations.  

"I thoroughly enjoyed it," Duminy said of his innings.

"I guess we don’t want to find ourselves in that position again, especially in the knock-out stages, but it’s good to get an innings like that under the belt coming in under pressure.

"We needed to make a play and to soak up the pressure that was there.

"I am pleased with the performance, it’s something to enjoy getting time in the middle, batting at six it’s not always possible to get a lengthy period of time out in the middle.

"It was a good opportunity to find my feet and to understand what is needed in certain situations." 

He says has come to understand his role at number six, and mentioned Sunday’s match as a good example of adapting his game to different challenges that come about.

Apart from that, the all-rounder also feels it affords him more time to work on his growing role with the ball.

"It’s about adapting and making sure you have different sets of skills for different situations," he explained.

"These are the things we talk about in team and batters meetings and we try to execute them.

"Sunday was a good showcase of our skills, especially myself and David (Miller).

"We are enjoying batting together and we complement each other well."

Duminy has fond memories of the MCG, the venue where he announced himself as a Test player, and says he is looking forward to another opportunity to create more memories at the cricketing coliseum.

"All of us are," he said of the excitement ahead of Sunday’s match.

"To play in that sort of arena; it doesn’t happen often that you get to play in front of so many people. The MCG is a ground that I have thoroughly enjoyed playing at and hopefully I will be given an opportunity to do something special again." 

The Proteas welcomed consultants Gary Kirsten and Mike Hussey, who will be with the team until the Proteas’ third match against the West Indies in Sydney.

Dale Steyn is recovering from a bout of sinusitis which started on Tuesday and didn’t take part in the training session.

He is expected to return to training on Wednesday.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1473 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2252 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE