New Delhi, Jan 24
Ahead of Pretoria Capitals taking on Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20 final on Sunday, young in-form batter Dewald Brevis said the importance of being present at the crease until the final ball of an innings is something which has been the key behind his batting approach in the last two games.
In this season of SA20, Brevis has noticeably tempered his naturally aggressive approach in recent outings, which have especially come into notice during his back-to-back match-winning performances of 53 and 75 not out for the Capitals.
Brevis, who's capped in all formats for South Africa, once looked to dominate from ball one, but he now appears willing to build his innings, suggesting a maturity that could prove crucial in Sunday's title clash.
"I think it's always like every game is new. Every game presents a new opportunity. I want to be like, for example, there is a role that I'm supposed to play. I want to obviously just be myself and play in that way. But like the approach in the previous two games, it was two different games, actually.
"The main thing for me and what the coach and the team want is for me to be there till the end. If I do that, like with being smart and whatever decision you make, you want to be there. You want to be the guy who walks off the field with your partner.
"So I think that's always the goal, and it's to just remain positive. Obviously, everyone wants to do it from the start of the tournament. I would have loved to do that. But it was a bit of a journey. I'm glad to see where we are as a team. Everyone is contributing, and I can't wait for Sunday," said Brevis, while replying to a query from IANS in the JioStar Press Room show on Saturday.
The Capitals are coached by former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who is in his maiden coaching assignment in cricket. Standing on the brink of winning its first piece of silverware, Ganguly acknowledged that memories of him leading India in finals do surface in his mind, but then he aims to put them aside to guide and motivate the Capitals to win the title.
"It's not just the 2003 (ODI World Cup) final - I've captained India in the 2001 and 2002 finals. So it's been a few finals. When you get there, you have those memories back. But then you put it behind, and that's gone - you can't do much about it, and you've got to look forward. So it's a new day, a new game, and you're always backing yourself to win. It's not just about finals -- it's about these 11 games throughout the tournament.
"It's because to get to the final, you have to win the majority of the game. So it's about winning, and the final is another game. But the key to getting finals and being the champion is about winning games. So that doesn't change -- you have to play well to win matches and keep it simple that way.
"It's about winning a match. We played Sunrisers in the group stage, semifinal, and final. So the team hasn't changed - it's just the situation which has changed. It's the same process that you win cricket matches, and that's what we look to do. Obviously, that comes with experience when you play over a long period of time. So for me, it's just another game where we'll have to play well to win," he concluded.
- IANS
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