At the Paarl Royals press conference on Friday, the first Indian cricketer (Dinesh Karthik) to be drafted into the Betway SA20 was asked to share his insights about his experiences being in South Africa and what he thinks of the young talent coming through the South African system.
Karthik opened his remarks by saying, “I have many fond memories of playing in South African venues. I have also enjoyed places like Cape Town and Paarl and I like batting in Johannesburg and Pretoria.”
When asked if he thinks that more Indian cricketers could join the tournament in the future Karthik said: “Why not? It is the best tournament (outside of the IPL) and the league has many skilled players that come and play in the tournament. The fans also support the tournament really nicely which makes it enjoyable for the players.”
Paarl Royals have a few young players. These include Kwena Maphaka and Lhuan-dre Pretorius, who were part of the most recent U19 World Cup.
When asked about Maphaka (who was in the press conference with him), he said, “Kwena is one of those bona-fide superstars. I watched him bowl in the Under 19 World Cup. I could see that opposing teams were planning on getting through his first spell which is rare. It is great to see him grow to an international level.
“If I was him I would try to use the tournament as an opportunity to win games of cricket (for the Royals). You can see that he is extremely skilled and it is very rare to see an eighteen-year-old get picked in the IPL. In Kwena, South Africa have found a gem. He and Cricket South Africa need to take care of his body to avoid getting injured.”
Maphaka added his thoughts and shared his experiences: “I think the risk of avoiding injury is mainly about managing the workloads. I have found that in domestic cricket some batters tend to give you more chances of getting them out whereas this happens a lot less in international cricket and franchise tournaments such as the SA20.”
He added that he is enjoying his time at the Royals by saying, “I am really enjoying my time here so far. I met DK yesterday and he was very welcoming. I have also been chatting to guys like Lungi (Ngidi) who have been really helpful. I am also fortunate that I have quite a few mates from the Lions here with me”.
The 18-year-old added that he adopts the following mindset when listening to the experiences of the senior players by stating, “I try to be myself as much as possible. I try to listen to the experiences of the players and see how I can learn from them and implement their advice into my game.
“Obviously, I am a different type of player to a guy like DK so I try to take their advice on board and see how it can benefit me rather than trying to be like someone else”.
When asked about the Royals squad Karthik said, “It is very interesting, he (Kwena) is at the beginning of his career and I am closer to the end of mine. The team has a very good blend of youth and experience. We have spoken about Kwena, but we are also fortunate to have guys like Lhuan-dre Pretorius in the team and we have also seen what guys like Mitchell (van Buuren) can do).
“We also have experienced guys like Miller and Root who have been stalwarts for their respective national teams. I really wish that this mix of youth and experience could benefit everyone. The mood is very positive.”
When asked about how he views his responsibility to help young players Karthik added, “Knowledge learnt is one side of it but knowledge shared is a lot more fruitful. I feel that I haven’t just been selected to showcase my skills as a batter and a wicketkeeper. I feel like I also need to help some young South African players by sharing my experiences. I don’t believe in constantly having serious discussions (as a risk that you can come across as being condescending. Aside from advice, it is also about building trust with all the players and having fun as well.”
Karthik explained his observations about the mentality of young cricketers in South Africa by saying, “They are a bit like a sponge and they are open to advice. I am surprised about the amount of talent which you don’t always get in all franchise competitions. It has shown in South Africa making some finals in recent tournaments such as the T20 World Cup and the World Test Championship because the talent exists.
“Other than Kwena, there are guys like Lhuan-dre and Mitchell who are extremely talented. Dayaan Galiem also recently made his debut for the T20 side. The South African players are really fighting to be the best version of themselves. You’ll often see them doing gym sessions or extra-training which is refreshing.”
Karthik elaborated by highlighting the benefits of the SA20 on improving young cricketers by saying, “The key of franchise tournaments like this is not just about how much money the broadcasters and sponsors of the tournament can make. These tournaments are also about encouraging grassroots programs which encourage boys and girls to play cricket. So far, the SA20 has really been good about developing grassroots programs.
“Yesterday (Thursday) I played a match against South Africa A (which was largely composed of fringe players) and the level of talent in that team was also really good. Although these guys didn’t get selected for the franchise teams it indicates the good depth of talent in South African cricket at the moment which is awesome to see.”
