I’d like SA to beat India in T20 WC final, but real chance for us to do well: Smith

Durban, Jan 9 (PTI) Former South Africa skipper Graeme Smith hoped that his country will wear the crown in the upcoming T20 World Cup, but remained wary of India's strength and skill-sets in home conditions, which, he thought, make the Indian team a certainty till the semifinal stage.

South Africa had inflicted a 2-0 Test series defeat on India in their backyard recently, but Smith also acknowledged that the Suryakumar Yadav-led side is a different beast in white ball cricket.

“With India's talent, you can never write them off. It's a home World Cup. It does seem to be an interesting transition phase in Indian cricket between (head coach) Gautam (Gambhir) and senior players and, you know, how that transition happens,” Smith, the SA20 League Commissioner, told a select media gathering here on Friday.

“But certainly from a talent perspective, India, if they're not in the last four at least, I'll be very surprised,” he added.

Even while understanding India’s strengths in familiar conditions, Smith hoped for a South African romp in the ICC showpiece.

“Obviously, I'd like us to beat India in the final. But yeah, that (Test series win) was brilliant. We know it's a tough place to go on tour. I was really surprised by how dominant we were in the Test series. The Test side over the last year, year and a half, has really been the beacon of light, from a national team perspective.

“(SA captain) Temba (Bavuma), (head coach) Shukri (Conrad) have done wonders. Hopefully, it continues. If Shukri and the team can get their combinations right, I think there's a real opportunity that the team can do very well.” Smith was also confident of SA players’ ability to handle spin during the T20 World Cup.

“I think there's enough quality and ability to play spin there as well in that middle-order, particularly in India. So, let's hope, you know, that there will be a good World Cup around the corner,” he detailed.

In that context, Smith hoped that the SA20 will give the South African players and coaches some precious preparation time ahead of the T20 World Cup, starting from February 7 across India and Sri Lanka.

“When you go into a World Cup, you always want to come off the back of playing really competitive cricket. So, it’s (SA20), a great platform for our players to take that type of pressure, full houses, first-class production, playing against the best players locally and internationally.

“That is key from a preparation perspective. The one thing that we will not have is the combinations. Shukri and Aiden…what are their combinations they want to take into India? How they're going to shape up, who's going to bat where? We can't predict that, but I think the platform for players to prepare here is brilliant,” Smith added.

Indian participation in SA20 ================== Cutting back to SA20, Smith hoped to see more Indian players and support staff in the league in future.

Former India batter Dinesh Karthik was a part of the league in the previous edition while ex India skipper Sourav Ganguly has come on board at Pretoria Capitals as head coach in the ongoing tournament.

“We hope to get more and more (Indians), and there's some great friends that we have in India. We've worked closely with the BCCI as well. They've been really supportive in helping us make some key decisions in terms of building the product.” Smith stressed the presence of legends like Ganguly will add to the league’s stature.

“But, to have Sourav is a highlight. I know, having chatted to him a number of times through the year, how seriously he's taking this and he's a competitive man. Obviously, with the Capitals franchise, he has a big influential role.

“So, I hope the rest of the season goes well for him. It's been a huge asset to have people like him, (Kumar) Sangakkara, (Stephen) Fleming come out here, for our players and also for the status of the league,” he signed off. PTI UNG UNG PDS PDS