India and South Africa will square off in a five-match T20I series beginning Thursday at Arjun Jaitley Stadium. Delhi has been witnessing a severe heatwave and a day prior to the start of the series, Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma on Wednesday said that his side was expecting it to be hot but not this hot. He also said that it is a good thing that the match will be played at night time.
"We expected it to be hot obviously, but not this hot. I thing we are fortunate that the games are being played at night, because at night it is bearable. But during the day the guys are trying to look after themselves as much as possible. Drink lot more water. Keep mentally fresh as they can," said Bavuma during a press conference.
"It is just coping with the heat to be honest. It is not something we are used to back home. Hydration, cramping and fatiguing are big things. You can only get used to it by playing in this type of heat. We have to hydrate ourselves and manage our energies as well as we can," he added.
When asked about the India-South Africa series, Bavuma said: "It's an exciting series for both India and South africa. We were able to get the better of the Indian side a couple of months ago but I think this is a different looking team, lot of younger, fresher faces withing their team. Guys who have a big point to prove, guys who want to stake a claim for their position within the Indian team. They will be not be short of motivation, so from our side as a team we won't be expecting anything easy, we are not thinking that everything is going to happen the same way as it happened in South Africa back home. We have to play good cricket, prepare well which we have done."
Lastly, when asked about the top-order, the Proteas skipper said: "Within our batting lineup, that is the area we would like to create more solidity in. Quinton and I will open and look to extend that through to the World Cup. The middle order guys are quite settled. We have got a young guy in Stubbs who will get an opportunity at some stage. We would like to see how can be of value."