South Africa Favourites To Win the World Cup: VVS Laxman to NDTV
South Africa are desperate to shed the 'chokers' tag as they have never played the final of a World Cup. Can they deliver on the big matches this time?
While most experts have tagged Australia as the prime contenders to lift the World Cup at home, former Indian batsman VVS Laxman has picked South Africa as the front-runners. In an exclusive chat with NDTV, VVS Laxman said that the AB de Villiers-led team was the most balanced unit in the World Cup and will not be surprised if they emerge as the winners.
Laxman compared this South African team to the Indian team that went into the 2011 World Cup and said that the Proteas have the men for every situation. (World Cup Like Olympics for Cricketers, South Africa's Record Disappointing: Shaun Pollock)
"They are actually what position India was in before the 2011 World Cup. You know a settled unit, experience, youth and you know they have got match-winners - not one or two but actually six or seven of them who can win matches on their own", remarked Laxman, "They have got an excellent batting line-up. They have got good all-rounders, they have got finishers. They have one of the best bowling line-ups in world cricket, in any format."
Ian Chappell and Sunil Gavaskar however did not agree with VVS Laxman but both of them refused to use the word 'chokers. (World Cup 2015: South Africa Most Twitter-Savvy Cricket Team; India Have Most Followers)
"I don't like that word about international sportsmen", said Chappell, "Until they get that monkey off their back, they will continue to be asked that question."
The former Aussie skipper had an explanation of why South Africa has faced a problem in the knock-out stages of big tournaments. Citing flaws in their style of play, Chappell said,"They play a type of game that is designed to choke off the runs and stop you scoring and wait for you to make mistakes. You know that's all well and good if you are playing team who are perhaps your equal or less than you but if you are playing teams that are particularly aggressive teams who might be a little bit better than you then you've got to provoke mistakes." (Javed Miandad: The Evolution of ODIs)
Agreeing to Chappell's theory, Sunil Gavaskar also added that the Proteas have failed to match the expectations on the big match days.
"Once you get into the knockout you know that there is no match. If you have a bad day you are gone, you are out of the tournament and that's the reason why when it comes to the crunch they are not able to swallow. I am not using the word choke. They are not able to swallow and therefore, they struggle a bit", said the India veteran.
Although South Africa have failed to win a single game in the knock-outs of any ICC tournament, Laxman had full faith in this South African team. He maintained that the Proteas have changed their approach and will be the team to watch out for in this World Cup.