Mumbai (Maharshtra) [India], February 5 : South Africa captain Aiden Markram has dismissed any lingering baggage from the 2024 T20 World Cup final loss to India, emphasising that the team's motivation comes from a desire to win rather than dwelling on past disappointments.
"The previous World Cup is what it is, right? It's two years. It's done now. We've played a lot of cricket since," Markram said during the Captain's Day press conference ahead of the T20 World Cup, according to ICC.
"Every captain sitting here and the previous captains that were in here before us, they all want to lift the trophy. You have to earn that right in your group stage first, and then continuously play good cricket. It's a competition where any team can beat any team. One or two special performances from individuals can break the game open. We are obviously here to win, and we're motivated, especially after 2024, but that's not the sole reason for our motivation," the Proteas skipper added.
Markram also outlined the team's strategy for navigating the group stage. "We've got some changes in personnel as well. We don't have India in the group stage now, and hopefully, at some stage, we can get to a position in the competition where we can," he said.
"For now, we've got to focus on our group, making sure we have a good four games there and earn the right to progress further. The focus is certainly just on our group for the time being," Markram added.
Canada captain Dilpreet Bajwa said it is a proud moment for the team as they gear up to play in the T20 World Cup, highlighting the preparation and adaptation required for the tournament.
"It's a very proud moment for all our players," Bajwa said. "Most of our players are from India. As you mentioned, the conditions are pretty tough in Canada, but thanks to our board, we had a pre-tour in Sri Lanka, and we prepared well."
Bajwa added that the team used the tour to test combinations and strategies. "We had a couple of games where we checked our combination and everything. As a captain, I feel we are well-prepared, but it's a day game -- whoever it will, it will happen," he said, underscoring the team's focus on staying ready and adaptable.
T20 World Cup squads for South Africa and Canada:
South Africa: Aiden Markram (captain), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Quinton de Kock, Marco Jansen, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Jason Smith, Tristan Stubbs.
Canada: Dilpreet Bajwa (captain), Ajayveer Hundal, Ansh Patel, Dilon Heyliger, Harsh Thaker, Jaskarandeep Singh, Kaleem Sana, Kanwarpal Tathgur, Navneet Dhaliwal, Nicholas Kirton, Ravinderpal Singh, Saad Bin Zafar, Shivam Sharma, Shreyas Movva, Yuvraj Samra.