Kolkata: South Africa captain Aiden Markram revealed that he was lucky to be part in the midst of some very fine players because of which he has become a very successful captain.
Markram gave the response to a question by a South African reporter who reminded him of his impeccable captaincy record at white-ball World Cups, where he has lost only once in 25 matches where he has led the teams.
“Yeah. I don't know, just really good teams around me I suppose. I’ve been very fortunate to lead some really strong teams, a great mix of some younger guys with a lot of experience and the older guys. The senior guys in the team, we lean on them a lot and they help guide you and lead you when you have a few doubts and I think because of that and a really strong group of players over the years, we've developed that. Fortunately, it reflects well, but it's definitely a reflection on the group as a whole,” he added.
In terms of tactics, Markram was of the opinion that the Eden Gardens track for Wednesday’s big semifinal will be a good wicket.
“I'm not sure exactly what conditions it will be like. Obviously, we kept a close eye on the India vs West Indies game that was here to get a bit of an indication. Briefly, quickly now I walked out to the wicket, it looks pretty good again. I think it's the darker soil, so we'll just have to, not wing it, but come up with ways out in the middle after and having seen a couple of balls, seeing how it's playing and back those plans from there. From an XI point of view, we'll wrap it up tonight now that we've seen the wicket and let the boys know. After that we can let everyone know tomorrow,” he added.
Markram was in no mood to take New Zealand lightly ahead of the huge contest despite his team having crushed them in the league stage game of the tournament.
“Quality team New Zealand, they've proved that over many years now. We had a good run out against them in the group stages, but both teams have played a lot of cricket since then. It's a completely fresh start tomorrow and they're playing in the semi-final, which is exciting as well.
I don't think it's as straightforward as just being able to repeat that again. A lot of variables in this game, but the other boys are very excited for the opportunity to play in the semi-final against a good team like New Zealand and we'll try to bring our best game to the front again,” Markram explained.
Markram was forthright when answering a query on how he looks at himself while batting and whether captaincy creeps in at that stage.
“Yeah, it's meant to. It's something that I've fought with a lot over the years. I think you as the captain always want to get the team over the line and maybe because of that you don't put all your focus into just watching the ball and reacting and playing. A little bit I've learned now in more recent months is to make a proper effort to separate the two. If you do your job as a batter for the team, ultimately it will contribute to a winning cause and that's where I try to keep my focus,” the Proteas skipper said.
