Four years after beating Indian 2-0 in their own backyard, in a T20I series, the South African team is back in this country to repeat the feat. But this time, their side would have a very different look compared to 2015. The team is being led by Quinton de Kock and won't have the talismanic cricketer AB de Villiers.
There would also be some other new faces to make up for the absence of prominent names. But if there was any doubt in the minds of the Indian team and its fans that this group of Proteas cricketers would allow them an easy victory, it was challenged by David Miller by his assertion at the pre-game press conference.
The aggressive middle-order batsman said that his team is determined to succeed in the upcoming series. "We have a young squad and they are all looking ahead to the challenge. It is a great stepping stone, we have come here to win and leave a mark," he stated.
Miller added that the tour of South Africa 'A' team to India has given good exposure to the youngsters. "A lot of guys in our side have played 'A' games here. They are experienced enough to play in India. We have had good preparation, we have been here for more than a week. It's a good wicket here, we are eager to get going tomorrow," the left-handed batsman said.
Speaking about the new captain of the team de Kock, Miller expressed confidence in his leadership qualities. "Quinton has been around for many years. He has an incredible brain, he is a thinking cricketer. It is really nice to be alongside him. It has been great so far, hope it continues."
The Proteas side has been going through some tough times of late. The ODI team fared poorly at the ICC World Cup and lost most of its matches. Despite that setback, Miller is confident that the T20I unit will respond well to the challenge.
"Yeah, I think what happened at the World Cup is something to learn from. We did a few things wrong and it never came out the way we wanted. So we are lucky that it's a new phase in South African cricket at the moment," the 30-year old asserted.
South Africa will play three T20Is and three Tests on this tour. The first T20I will be played in Dharamsala on September 15. The next two games will take place on September 18 and September 22 at Mohali and Bengaluru respectively.
