Johannesburg - Proteas' captain Faf du Plessis has a simple recipe for success in the ICC T20 World Cup semi-final against India in Mirpur on Friday: key decision-making during pressure situations.
The Proteas face another knock-out situation in an ICC event, and will be keeping it simple in search of the elusive silverware.
“We have felt it a couple of times before that it was our time and that didn't work out,” Faf du Plessis said at his pre-match press conference on Thursday.
“To be honest with you, India are still regarded as favourites. We have almost been playing as underdogs Ä no one really gave us a chance before the tournament.
“We've been playing really well as a team,” he said. “We've had different guys performing in each game, so we are not relying on a particular individual.
“It is a high-pressure game. It will be important to play the key moments well and to make the right decisions at crucial times. If we do that, we will come out on top.”
This is the eighth head-to-head T20 international meeting between the two sides, with India winning five out of the past seven encounters.
Du Plessis said the men from the sub-continent remained the favourites because of their past success at major ICC tournaments.
“In these T20 games, it is about how you play on the day,” he said.
“We will enter the game with a fresh mindset. We've had huge success against them before. We've been through some tough situations with our resilience and never-say-die attitude getting us through.
“We're expecting pressure. Every game you play for your country, there is pressure. It is all about doing the basics well,” he added.
The management will assess the conditions during the semi-final between England and the Proteas Women to determine whether to play a second front-line spinner.
“If there is excessive spin, we will definitely look at that option. But if it's a good wicket we will pick up where we left off in Chittagong,” Du Plessis said.
Sapa