VIDEO- WTC Final: No clear favourites, says Jonty Rhodes

VIDEO- WTC Final: No clear favourites, says Jonty Rhodes

At one point it rather seemed an impossibility for a WTC summit clash for the Proteas with key players unavailable and team still going through transition, their roller coaster ride has been an amazing story, feels South African legend Jonty Rhodes.

Arguably the greatest fielder the world has ever seen, Rhodes, who is also Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) fielding coach though stopped short of calling any team clear favourites.

“Well to win that many Test matches is pretty tough. Test cricket has certainly changed from my generation and my era when a lot of drawn matches used to happen. The way the players play these days, the game certainly goes forward very, very quickly; not too many Tests last for five days. But to be able to win eight out of nine games is a spectacular performance”, Jonty told PTI Videos in an exclusive interview on Saturday.

“Considering that the team has changed, at one point players weren’t available. It’s amazing that South Africa has reached the final of the WTC”, he added.

South Africa’s run to the final has been driven by their dominant performances, particularly at home. In those games, their potent pace attack, featuring Kagiso Rabada (37 wickets in 8 matches at an average of 19.8) and Marco Jansen (29 wickets in 7 matches), proved unstoppable.

Many believe the Proteas’ familiarity with pace-friendly pitches could tip the scales in their favour, but Rhodes downplayed any such edge.

“Well, I don’t think so,” he said.

“There is no advantage to South Africa. The Australians are adept at playing pace bowling; they have a battery of fast bowling whom South African batters will be facing at Lord’s. So, I wouldn’t say that we have an advantage. Australians have grown up facing pace and know all about it, but it certainly is going to be a great contest.”

Beyond the immediate focus on the WTC final, Rhodes believes that South African cricket appears to be on the cusp of a broader resurgence.

“You know, success breeds success,” he explained.

“For a long time, South Africa was in the middle of the ICC rankings and it kind of showed. Rugby has a cult fan following in South Africa because we have had consecutive World Championships winning teams. I as a player and cricket coach in India have seen that the success of the men’s team and the women’s team has driven the popularity of the game and support for the players and the team.”

“I hope that cricket in South Africa will get a resurgence, one from the Test team’s performance and other from tournaments like SA20”, he added.

According to Rhodes leagues like SA20 have played a pivotal role in reigniting interest and unearthing talent back home. The young players coming through the ranks offer hope for the future of South African cricket.

“The standard of young players coming through the ranks is pretty exciting…lots of exciting times ahead if you are a fan of cricket in South Africa.”

Rhodes who was invited as a special guest speaker at the Viksit Bharat Youth Leaders Dialogue and National Youth Festival in Delhi was particularly inspired by the Viksit Bharat 2047 mission.

“In a team environment or society, communication is so essential and it is not a monologue. And to actively listen to the youth of the country, is just mind-blowing. The fact that the PM’s gonna be here tomorrow, the youth of the country that will be driving the Viksit Bharat 2047 mission”.

“The fact that they will get a chance to present their thoughts to the Prime Minister of the country really blows me away”, he concluded.