South African captain Aiden Markram considers going through an impressive Indian team inside the T20 World Cup 2024 final as a thrilling possibility for his squad. The right-handed batter said that they will take encouragement from their development, no matter the final match results.
The Proteas have defied expectations to reach the final, winning tight matches, a departure from their historical performance. Their journey to the final includes victories over teams like the West Indies, England, and Afghanistan, marking their first appearance in a World Cup final.
Talking to the reporters before the final, Markram mentioned that regardless of their efforts, South Africa has regularly failed quick in ICC events over the years.
“Whether you win or whether you lose, you’ve gone a step further at least, and for us that’s going in the right direction. It’s a new game of cricket. We all know India’s a great team.”
“Us as a team of South Africans, have been training in the right direction in the last couple of years but maybe not progressed in tournaments as far as we would have liked. An exciting occasion against a good opposition in India but a nice opportunity for us as the Proteas as well,” he stated.
Till this year, South Africa’s high overall performance inside the tournament’s records become accomplishing the semi-finals in 2014. Interestingly, it was India who removed them, with Virat Kohli scoring an unbeaten 72.
“I don’t view it as my effort alone that brought us to this point”- Aiden Markram
Markram also expressed confidence that South Africa can secure a win from any situation.
“I don’t see it as it was me that got us into this position at all. It’s been a squad effort, and a squad that’s been together for a few years now that’s been on a journey.”
“The journey has now finally got us here to our first final, which is a proud and special feeling, not just for me but for everyone involved in the squad. It’s given the team the belief that you can win from any position, which I think is important,” he said in the same media interaction.
The Proteas last claimed an ICC title in 1998, whereas India achieved this feat in 2013.
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