South Africa captain Temba Bavuma bristled at the mention of the chokers tag before Sunday’s meeting with India in Kolkata.
The Proteas have lost in 10 semifinals at International Cricket Council (ICC) global events. It’s a record that has hung over the nation’s cricket team since their 1999 Cricket World Cup semifinal exit to Australia when victory was in their grasp.
“If we come unstuck [against India], I don’t think it’ll be a matter of choking,” Bavuma said in the pre-match news conference. “I doubt you would say that about India as well, that they choked, if they come unstuck.”
Both sides have already qualified for the semifinals; India have stormed to seven wins from seven so far, while South Africa have only lost once – a surprise defeat to the Netherlands.
“You’ve got two teams who are in form, coming up against each other and it’s just a matter of who breaks first and who’s able to exploit that moment of weakness or that weakness,” Bavuma continued.
“We understand there will be pressure moments within the World Cup, moments that we’ve overcome to get to this point, and there still will be more. We’ll deal with them as best as we can.”
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