Not known for handling pressure well on the big stage, South Africa have pulled off close wins in this competition giving them a strong belief that victory is possible from any situation, captain Aiden Markram said ahead of the T20 World Cup final against India here.
India, a team full of superstars, will have to overcome the pressure of not winning an ICC title since 2013 while South Africa head into their maiden World Cup final having not been in that position ever before.
Ahead of the summit showdown on Saturday, Markram was expectedly reminded about the past when Proteas have crumbled under pressure.
"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.
"Quite important" - Aiden Markram on winning close matches ahead of the final
Both South Africa and India go into the final unbeaten with the former experiencing plenty of bumps along the way.
They barely managed to put it past Nepal and Bangladesh earlier in the competition. Even the low-scoring affair against co-hosts West Indies could have gone either way. Markram said his players have got a lot of confidence out of those close wins and they won't settle for a runners-up finish.
"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," said Markram.
India might be overwhelming favourites for the title but South Africa too have a lot going for them. They are keen to add a fresh chapter to the nation's chequered history but the schedule has not given them time to think too much about the occasion.
