It is a long and sunny walk to the Melbourne Cricket Ground from the team hotel. The bridge leading up to the ‘G’ is isolated but one can rest assured that it will be chock-a-block with cricket fans when they march towards the stadium to witness a mouth watering clash between India and South Africa on Sunday. With barely three days left for the contest, both teams have left no stone unturned when it comes to preparations ahead of the key clash. India had an extended session on Wednesday noon and decided to rest it out today (Thursday) while South Africa decided to hit the nets at the MCG.
Dale Steyn, who had missed the previous practice session due to flu, was back on the field and bowled full throttle at the nets. South Africa head coach Russell Domingo confirmed that Steyn was suffering with a bit of sinusitis but he was fit and should be available for Sunday’s game against India.
Traditionally, South Africa have had the upper hand against India at the World Cups, having beaten them thrice in as many meetings. Domingo, though paid very little heed to history. “Whatever has happened in the past in previous World Cups will count for very little on Sunday,” he said. “We haven’t thought too much about whether we have got a psychological advantage over India or not. We are just focusing hard on our preparations this week. We know India are the current World Champions and a wonderful ODI side.”
When asked if this was the biggest game for the team in the pool stage, Domingo was of the view that every game in the pool was equally important. “Every game we play for South Africa is a big game and that’s the way we want to approach it. We are treating it in pretty much the same way as we treat any other game playing for South Africa. We know that there is always a lot of hype when India is in town. They have got massive support and some really big players in their side. But we are not seeing it as a high profile game.
“Although it is early in the tournament, I think a lot of positives can be taken out of a positive result or a good performance against a side like India. It is going to be a big stage for some of our players who haven’t experienced that type of atmosphere before. There’s a lot you can take out of a good result against India.”
A lot has been spoken about India’s winless tour Down Under but against Pakistan, they looked dominant and played like champions. Domingo and Co. were wary of India’s potential in blues and felt the need to be on top of their game to topple India.
“India have got match-winners in their side. We know that they have got some of the best players of the world in their side. They had a tough tour Down Under but the World Cup is their priority now. We know that they will be fresh and they will be ready to go come Sunday. We have to be on top of our game.”
Staying put on India’s strong line-up Domingo said, “We obviously know that Virat Kohli has been an outstanding player for India over the last couple of years and his record is phenomenal. He is obviously a kingpin in their batting lineup but guys like Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane too have been in great form this summer. They have got a seriously good batting line-up. We are not targeting any individual player. It’s pretty much respecting the whole unit because you know that they have got match-winners right through their batting line-up.”
With former India coach Gary Kirsten and Michael Hussey by their side as consultants, Domingo expected the Proteas to gain a lot from the duo’s experience and was hopeful to get results in their favour in the coming weeks.
“The most important thing about those two consultants we have brought in is their personalities. They are really good people, they come across really well. Hussey is an experienced player; he knows what you would expect from a coach. Gary is an experienced coach; he has been with the side for a long period of time. He knows when to give some information and when not to give some information. Just having his presence around is a big source of inspiration and motivation for the team. This is an important two weeks for us, games against India, the West Indies and Ireland before going back to Auckland.”
