South Africa’s present era of cricketers have discovered from earlier profitable Proteas touring sides and Virat Kohli’s India that you just should be “in the faces” of Australia to achieve Test cricket right here.
That’s a mindset adopted by batter Theunis de Bruyn, who’s hoping to finish a three-year absence from the Test facet towards Australia on the Gabba from Saturday.
A combative factor has existed between the 2 sides for many years, epitomised by stoic and uncompromising Proteas skippers Graeme Smith and Faf du Plessis, who have been on the helm for collection wins in Australia in 2008-09, 2012-13 and 2016-17.
After making an aggressive 88 towards a Cricket Australia XI, De Bruyn was requested whether or not this crew beneath Dean Elgar would undertake the same method.
“I think you have to,” he stated.
“Teams have that have been successful here over the last few years are South Africa and India. Virat brought that to the Indian cricket team, playing in opposition’s faces.
“It would not need to be verbally, however (with) physique language and eye contact. It shouldn’t be all the time straightforward in South Africa. We are used to having it robust.”
De Bruyn, 30, said the rough and tumble grounding in South Africa for young cricketers prepared them to take on Australia on foreign soil.
“As a teen again house we get introduced up robust with the older ones or fathers or uncles. They hit you with a ball and so they chirp you and say, ‘That’s Aussie’.
“So from a young age you get spiced up for getting into the battle. I wouldn’t say it is nice getting hit hard, but it is nice getting the competitive juices flowing. That is what Test cricket is about.
“All we are able to do is entrance as much as the Aussies, give it our greatest and play true to our DNA, and be of their faces.
“Playing against Australia in their own conditions is something we as South Africans enjoy … that underdog tag or whatever you want to call it to really front up and fight.”
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Pace bowler Lungi Ngidi stated the knowledge of profitable touring Proteas had been handed down.
“We obviously are in communication with guys like that, and over the years when they were still with us they would share that information,” he stated.
“Those guys are always willing to take a phone call from us. What we want to do at the moment is work with what we have here. We have got guys that have played in Australia and experienced these conditions.
“Our captain (Elgar) has had loads of excursions around the globe so he’s nicely conscious of what is on supply for us.”
