South Africa’s newly-appointed interim Team Director Enoch Nkwe says he is enduring a lot of sleepless nights to find the “best formula” for his side to perform well during the tough tour of India starting next week.
Nkwe, who was appointed last month following South Africa’s disastrous campaign in the World Cup under coach Ottis Gibson, said a lot of work has been done ahead of the tour beginning with the T20 series on September 15 in Dharamsala.
“A lot has been happening behind the scenes to find the best formula of going to India,” he said ahead of the team’s departure on Thursday.
“It is sleepless nights but for a good cause and it is also an exciting challenge for everyone. It has been long hours communicating with the support staff and the organisation who have been helpful to ensure that I deliver the right things for the team.”
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The three-match T20 series will be followed by a three-match Test series beginning October 2.
“There has been serious amount of work and we are slowly getting there in terms of building up to the tour. We have been working hard enough to ensure that by the time we come together as a group we are able to create clear direction and structure,” said Nkwe.
Former Proteas all-rounder Lance Klusener has been roped in as batting consultant for the T20 series and Nkwe said his presence will be valuable.
“He has plenty of experience he is someone who embraces and likes his way of dealing with white ball cricket. He has been around the world not just from a playing perspective but he has been involved in T20 leagues around the world over the last few years.
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“I see him making a serious impact and sharing some of the ides that have worked for him. He is excited with the journey that lies ahead for this team in India and we will unpack with him as we go along. He will add a lot of value for us in the coming months and that is good for us.”
India head into the home series high on confidence, having dominated the West Indies in all three formats in the contest played in the Caribbean. Nkwe said they would rather focus on their preparation than think about the opposition.
“To be honest I have not had enough time to watch the opposition. I have asked the performance analyst Prasanna Agoram to look into it,” he said.
“We also don’t want to invest too much time on the opposition. We need to find our own way for the four years that are coming and hopefully I will form part of that plan going forward.
“We want to come back from India with some sort of blueprint for whoever will be taking over on a full-time basis to be in a good position,” added Nkwe.
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