"When He Crosses The Line, He Badly Wants To Beat You": South Africa Star On Virat Kohli

South Africa spinner Tabraiz Shamsi, who is currently a part of the Gulf Giants squad in the ongoing edition of the ILT20, spoke about his experience of playing the 2023 ODI World Cup in India. Shamsi grabbed everyone's attention with his fiery performance against Pakistan in Chennai, where he took four wickets and helped the Proteas register a one-wicket win. It was a nail-biting thriller as the Proteas chased down 271, where Shamsi and spinner Keshav Maharaj took the team across the line.

Speaking to NDTV, Shamsi spoke about his experience of playing in front of the Chennai crowd and the fans' reaction during the match.

"Yeah, it's always nice, you know. And I think out of that, the best memory that I do have from the World Cup is the game we played in Chennai against Pakistan. You know, it was a nail-biter. It was a thrilling game, which we ended up winning. It was also nice because I was at the end there with the bat," said Shamsi on the sidelines of ILT20.

Talking about South Africa's historic 2-0 clean sweep against India in the two-match Test series, Shamsi expressed his happiness and called it a special moment for Proteas cricket.

"I think he's the most successful captain (Temba Bavuma), starting as his captaincy, still no losses. So that doesn't come just like that, you know. And he's sort of like a silent leader in a way. A lot of leaders are loud in the change room with big presence and things like that. Other guys are quiet, but they lead in that way. And I think Temba is that sort of guy, you know," he said.

"And he doesn't speak all the time, but when he speaks, you know guys listen because he's not just speaking for the sake of it. So from that point of view, he's been brilliant. The team itself, you know, as a South African player, I was fortunate in a way not to be part of any of those heavy Test defeats."

Shamsi had a brief stint with Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL, where he was a teammate of star India batter Virat Kohli. Later on, he also played for the Rajasthan Royals.

"It's always nice playing against Virat. You know, he's an intense character on the field. I like to play with intensity as well. Sometimes it comes across as being too aggressive on the field for him and myself. But, you know, we are completely different people off the field. And, you know, his persona, when he crosses that line, he goes into game mode and he wants to beat you as badly as, you know, the opposition wants to beat him, if not more," he said.

"So I learned a lot from him as well, being at RCB with him at the beginning of my career. So I personally respect the fight and the drive that he has. Obviously, he's one of the greats that has played the game and you have to dig deep and realise that, you know, maybe it's a guy's drive and his passion and his attitude," he added.

Speaking on playing in the ILT20, Shamsi said, "It's my first time in the ILT20. So it's a new league that I get to experience. And so far, everything that I've heard from other players that have played for Gulf Giants before say that it's an amazing team to be a part of. It's nicely run. The people behind the scenes of this team are amazing. So, you know, and those are not questions that I've asked. That's, you know, when I tell the guys, OK, I'll be playing for Gulf Giants, that's what the players have said to me. So it's really nice."

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team South Africa Cricket Team Royal Challengers Bengaluru Tabraiz Shamsi Virat Kohli Cricket