‘Proud To Get That Close’: Captain Aiden Markram Backs South Africa To Come Back Stronger

Last Updated:November 15, 2024, 7:49 PM IST

Aiden Markram hailed his team for displaying tremendous fighting spirit in the high-scoring clash.

South African skipper Aiden Markram appears to be hopeful about his team showing improvement in the upcoming fourth T20I against India, scheduled for Friday, November 15.

The Proteas are trailing 2-1 in the four-match series, having lost the third T20 by 11 runs in Centurion. Markram, however, was impressed by the efforts of his batters who fell marginally short of chasing down a mammoth 220-run target.

After the match was over, the home captain hailed his team for displaying tremendous fighting spirit in the high-scoring clash. He was delighted to see a lower-order batter like Marco Jansen contributing 54 runs on the crucial day.

“Proud of the effort to get that close. Good to see the contributions from the lower order. It was just down to executing what we discussed. This is a ground where you can chase 220. I feel it is almost an over-by-over thing. If you win those overs you have a great chance. We will see areas to improve for the next game,” Markram said at the post-match presser.

Tilak Varma was the best performer with the bat for India in the third T20I. The youngster arrived at the crease following the dismissal of Sanju Samson who returned with a two-ball duck. Varma joined hands with Abhishek Sharma and stitched a 107-run partnership to revive the innings. Sharma slammed a blazing half-century off just 25 balls before surrendering to Keshav Maharaj.

While Varma appeared to be in sublime form, wickets kept falling at the other end. Suryakumar Yadav managed to survive just four deliveries while Hardik Pandya scored 18. Rinku Singh also failed to showcase his A-game with the bat and fell victim to Andile Simelane.

Ramandeep Singh contributed with a 15-run cameo featuring one boundary and a six. Varma remained unbeaten till the end and added 107 runs to the scoresheet. The southpaw had registered eight fours and seven maximums off 56 balls to maintain a strike rate of 191.07.

Apart from Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen also made a vital contribution with the bat. The wicketkeeper-batter took only 22 balls to score 41. Among the other South African batters, Aiden Markram registered 29 while the opening pair of Ryan Rickelton and Reeza Hendricks added 20 and 21 runs respectively to the scoresheet.

News cricket ‘Proud To Get That Close’: Captain Aiden Markram Backs South Africa To Come Back Stronger