South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma
Credit: Reuters Photo
The current South African team members are divided whether the chokers tag applies to them or not but everyone is aware that the narrative will stick with them until the Proteas win a silverware, skipper Temba Bavuma said on Friday.
Despite having world class players at their disposal, South Africa have never gone beyond the semifinal stage at the World Cup, earning them the tag of perennial chokers.
"I've used it a couple of times but you don't really hear it coming about within the team," Bavuma said when asked if the current group uses the word 'choke'.
"I think there are guys who believe that it applies to this team, there are guys who don't believe that it applies to this team.
"The belief amongst the team, that's the most important bit I bring up to just make sure that we're not kind of skirting around the issue that it's something that is there, it's something that will always have to deal with." Bavuma feels the team needs to accept the narrative, which will go away by itself when South Africa win a trophy.
"I think the biggest thing, at least for myself, is to accept that it is what it is. As a South African team, we know we're going to have that chip on our back, or that narrative that we have to get over. And that's always going to be there until we win a trophy," he said.
"But look, that pressure, that expectation, that's always going to be there for us as a team, for any Proteas cricketing team. That's something you just got to deal with I guess however, where you are."
South African bowlers went for runs galore in the recent five-match series against Australia. Asked if bowling is a concern heading to the World Cup, Bavuma replied in the negative.
"I wouldn't say it's a concern. There are areas that we can improve on. We always try to judge ourselves in the three different phases within the game.
"And we haven't had a lot of instances where in all three phases being the power play, the middle and the death, where we've dominated as a bowling team so from that point of view, I do believe that there's room for improvement and the guys are aware of that."
Although spinners are expected to dominate in India, South Africa will rely heavily on their potent pace attack to get the job done.
"With the South African attack as predictable as it may be, we always kind of lean to planning around our fast bowlers. That is our strength as a South African team," Bavuma said.
"That's no secret to anyone who would be planning against us. With that being said when we have a guy like Keshav, guys like Shamsi, that does give us our opportunity there when the conditions do speak to playing more than one spinner, we do have we do have guys we can step in and do that quite well.
"But I think the biggest thing like you said is the conditions and trying to put together a team, trying to put together a tactic that speaks to those conditions and conditions that we can exploit as best as we can."
South Africa will open their campaign against Sri Lanka here on Saturday.