Coach Shukri Conrad says the Proteas learned “invaluable” lessons in India ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup. South Africa lost the five-match T20I series 3-1 after suffering a 30-run defeat in Ahmedabad on Friday night.
The Proteas’ tour began with a famous 2-0 Test series victory – their first in India since 2000 – followed by a 2-1 ODI series loss.
Despite the white-ball setbacks, Conrad described the tour as a success, particularly with the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka looming.
“It’s been very helpful, especially since we’ve got a few games here in Ahmedabad,” Conrad told reporters.
“It certainly does give us some really good insights into what we can expect, familiarise ourselves with the conditions. This last bit has been wonderful for us in terms of conditions that we’re going to experience in a few months’ time when we come here for the World Cup.
“All in all, I think it’s a very successful tour, I’m really happy with the outcomes. We started off brilliantly in the Test series and then to take it to a decider in the one-dayers and we had an opportunity tonight to level the T20 series.
“Obviously, you want to win every series you play, but they [India] are the world champions in this format for a reason. We’ve got to make sure that we come back in a few months’ time and try and topple them.”
The Proteas coach also highlighted positives within his squad.
“We’ve ticked quite a few boxes in terms of our middle-order to lower-order. It’s great to see Quinny [Quinton de Kock] return to the type of form that we know he’s capable of.
“While we didn’t get the results we wanted here in the T20 series, I think the prep and lessons has been invaluable for us.”
Looking ahead, Conrad believes the SA20, which starts on 26 December, will play a crucial role in sharpening his squad before the World Cup.
“We’ve got some work to do still, there’s no doubt, but the good thing is that the boys have got a month of SA20 coming up. That will also be really good prep in honing their skills to ensure that when the West Indies arrive on our shores [for a three-match T20I series], we’re ready for that.” – www.sacricketmag.co.za
