The Proteas kick off their limited overs tour of India with a T20I against their hosts on Wednesday night, but spinner Tabraiz Shamsi says they already have one eye on the World Cup in Australia next month.
Captan Temba Bavuma and his teammates face India in three T20Is and three ODIs, before jetting off Down Under for the T20 World Cup which starts on October 16.
Drawn in Group 2 alongside India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, Shamsi sees their visit to India as the perfect preparation for what lies ahead.
The world’s second-best T20I bowler says: “The World Cup is first priority, not to say this series isn’t important... we are here to win it, but we have one eye on the World Cup.”
With coach Mark Boucher stepping down from his position at the end of the World Cup and Bavuma having suffered the knock of not being selected for any of the six teams in the inaugural SA20 competition, Shamsi says the mood in the camp is quite good.
He adds: “The mood in the team is really good, we are all excited to be back together and playing against India.”
On a personal note, SA need their premier T20 spinner to shine if they are to win a World Cup for the first time in Australia.
The objectives are clear 🏏#INDvSA #BePartOfIt pic.twitter.com/r5i61wvgpW
Of his preparation and the difference between the pitches in India and Australia, Shamsi says: “It’s is quite different - the pitches will be different in Australia and the boundary sizes as well.
“The boundaries are smaller in India, but there are always things that you can work on. It’s a great opportunity bowling at the India batsmen, they are in our group in the World Cup as well.”
dudley.carstens@inl.co.za