IND vs SA | India tour a fresh start with new faces in the team, claims Rassie van der Dussen

Having arrived in India to prepare for the first T20 in Dharamsala on Sunday, the South African team is poised to show the world it’s mettle and what it is capable of doing. Senior players Quinton de Kock and David Miller will have a large role to play in leading the team through tough conditions in the subcontinent, having years of experience playing on India pitches courtesy the IPL.

“Quinton and David have played a lot of cricket in India. We will look to feed off them and ask them a lot of questions about the conditions, the kind of bowlers we would be facing so we can quickly adapt against a strong side like India,” Rassie van der Dussen was reported saying by Sportstar.

With Faf du Plessis absent from the limited overs squad in order to prepare for the ensuing Test series, wicket keeper batsman Quinton de Kock has been named the skipper for the three T20s. His deputy van der Dussen heaped praise on his leadership qualities, denying the fact that the responsibility might affect his performances.

“Quinton is one of those guys who leads by example. He doesn’t say a lot but when he speaks he says really valuable things. He has won a lot of games for South Africa and everyone respects him for that. I am sure the captaincy band around his arm will bring more out of him,” he stated.

Dussen’s impressive World Cup campaign was perhaps the only silver lining for the Proteas in what was a humiliating campaign as they finished a lowly seventh and got eliminated in the first stage itself. The team has since been on an extended break and the series against India will be it’s first since the sporting extravaganza. 

“Last time, we were together at the World Cup. It was a disappointing showing by the team. But now it is a fresh start, we have a new coaching staff. We have spoken a lot about in the last few days how we want to be as a team. We have got a few new faces so it always brings the energy up,” Dussen added.

India is coming off a highly successful Caribbean tour where they ran out as winners in all the three series without conceding even a single game. However, Dussen chose to take the same in positive light. 

“India is one of the strongest teams in the world, especially in home conditions. It has played some cricket recently against the West Indies. It gives us the advantage of looking at the players and what they are likely to do. We have been off for a while as a team and guys are fresh and raring to go,” he signed off.