Enoch Nkwe has instilled a strong determination to win in the Proteas camp leading into the T20I Series against India.
A lot has been said about the newly appointed Interim team Director, Enoch Nkwe.
After leading the Lions to the 4-Day Competition victory last season and also winning the MSL 1.0 with the Jozi Stars, we all know that he brings a winning mentality into the team.
His confidence in his players and risk taking is something that is refreshing about his style of coaching.
The international stage is a different level, and it will truly test the inexperienced Proteas interim coach and his staff.
In a presser in India he emphasised how much he believes in his players going into the T20I series.
When asked whether he thought his team was strong enough to win against India, he replied:
“Absolutely, if you look at our group of guys, we have good enough experience.
“The captain himself has played a lot of cricket here in India, we have fresh blood that has come into the squad and it’s very exciting. We will remain competitive.
“Yes we want to walk away with a series win,” he added.
“The entire squad is very determined. We are here to win. We understand that the opposition is strong in their backyard, but we will give it 100%.
Despite not having Faf du Plessis present, Nkwe believes that it will open a door into their future, with Quinton de Kock as their leader.
“I strongly believe we have a good enough squad, we have a good leader here with me [Quinton de Kock],” he said confidently.
“It’s an opportunity to start building also for the future. We know where Faf stands as a captain and as a player.
“He has done great things for South African cricket. We also have to look at what the future looks like. We strongly believe in Quinton who will be leading the team going into the series.”
The 26 year-old De Kock did not shy away from saying how he will approach his new captaincy role.
“We have a lot of new players. Win or lose I just want the guys to make sure they keep competing and keep fighting,” De Kock said.
“As long as they keep doing that I’m sure we will be in good hands. We have quite a young team and there will be a lot of energy. I am looking forward to that.”
The Proteas Tour of India gets underway this weekend, with the first T20I scheduled for 15 September.
The three match Test series follows after the T20I series, with the first Test kicking off on the 2 October.
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