CAPE TOWN - Farhaan Behardien has urged South Africa to play fearless cricket in the third T20 International against India at Newlands on Saturday.
The Proteas levelled the series with a commanding six-wicket win at SuperSport Park on Wednesday, a performance highlighted by domination with the bat.
The home series against India will come to a climax at a sold-out Newlands on Saturday, a fitting end to a competitive showing of cricket across the formats.
A win in the T20I series-decider would be some limited-overs consolation for South Africa after being hammered 5-1 in the One Day International series by the tourists.
“Saturday is a big game,” Behardien said on Friday. “The series is 1-1, hopefully the Cape Town faithful will come out and support us on Saturday night. This is another chance to play against a top side and to gain experience going forward.
One positive from the series has been the emergence of new talent. The new caps have made the transition and have stepped up to the pressures and standards of international cricket. Behardien said the performances from the youngsters have brought a refreshing element to the series, especially their flair, skill and composure.
It's a bit gloomy here @NewlandsCricket but that's not stopping the team. Hard prep on the go ahead of the series-decider tomorrow #SAvIND #KFCT20I pic.twitter.com/gasBOTWdeF
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) February 23, 2018
“Junior (Dala) has been a consistent performer over the last few seasons so it’s nice to see him in full flight in the last few days,” he said.
“Reeza (Hendricks) isn’t a newbie but he was the leading run-scorer in the Ram Slam and he comes in with a lot of confidence into this series. I have played with Heinrich Klaasen the whole summer, he is coming off some massive form. I am impressed with the way they have taken to the international stage.
“A lot of the new faces don’t carry the baggage from the ODI series. They are fearless cricketers; you have guys bowling at 140km/h, guys smashing it out of the park, it is exciting to see.”
A post shared by Junior Dala(@juniordala3) on Feb 22, 2018 at 12:46am PST