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South Africa achieved their personal best under the leadership of Aiden Markram when they qualified for first-ever ICC World Cup final. They looked set to lift their first ever World Cup trophy but Indian bowlers snatched a win from jaws of defeat. South African players were left distraught after the loss to Rohit Sharma’s India in a thrilling contest in Barbados. Weeks after the final, Markram opened up on the loss ahead of T20I series against West Indies.
"I should give it as much time as it needs," he said in a press conference on August 20. "It was a tough one to swallow at the time. Definitely since then till now, it's got a bit better to handle; to deal with and to process and put to bed."
Markram had his own process to deal with the loss. He distanced himself from the game for a while which helped him move on.
"Luckily I was able to take some time to get away from the game, get away from cricket conversations that would spark the discussion once again," Markram said. "It was nice to get away from that and to reset. Each individual processes it pretty much to themselves. Probably the most important thing is making sure you're at peace with how it all ended. So that you can move on and move forward," he added.
For the three-T20I series starting on August 23, South Africa selectors picked a squad which has only three players from playing XI of T20 World Cup 2024 final.
Markram not concerned about different captains across formats
Before the T20I series, Markram played under Temba Bavuma in the two-Test series. However, he is not concerned about the transition between player and captain he has to make in between formats.
"It's not a hell of a big deal for me. The decision-makers, especially from a white-ball point of view, remain consistent. That allows for continuity in the team.
"Faces will change and squads will change, but it's important that we keep driving a consistent message to the guys and making sure that they feel backed as players. And that whatever they bring to the table is good enough for us as a team. So, it's not too complicated. You take on whatever you get given and you try to make the absolute best of it and see where it gets you," said the 29-year-old.
Hendricks chasing milestone
Meanwhile, Markram's teammate, Reeza Hendricks is chasing a milestone. Hendricks needs 58 more runs to become third Proteas batter to score 2,000 T20I runs.
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