Here’s the full transcript of Keshav Maharaj’s press conference before the South Africa vs West Indies Super 8 clash
[Reporter:]
You’re probably the best guy to speak to today because in the SA20 you played with Sherfane Rutherford, you played with Shai Hope, you played with Rostan Chase. Don’t know what the team is going to look like but probably the first two are going to be playing. How important were your inputs in the bowling meetings this week?
[Keshav Maharaj:]
Yeah, we chatted briefly about it. I think it’s obviously a build-up also from the series we played prior to coming to the World Cup. We know the danger that they do possess, so it’s about coming up with nice and simple plans and focusing on our execution towards those batters.
[Reporter:]
Don’t know if you saw but there were a lot of talk now after you guys beat India, of permutations and stuff, but I guess for you guys it’s simple, just keep on winning.
[Keshav Maharaj:]
Yeah, for us, look, the main thing is we’re taking each game at its time. Obviously it was a really big game for us and a huge one, so to come over a line just gives you a little bit of confidence moving into the next game. West Indies been an amazing game of cricket against Zimbabwe so it’s back to the drawing board to get tomorrow and like I said taking each game at a time.
[Reporter:]
How does the challenge of taking on West Indies differ from the challenge of playing India?
[Keshav Maharaj:]
At this stage in the tournament, it’s a huge game for us. Because we know if we get over the line, or hopefully we do get over the line, it gives us the qualification into the semi-finals. We, like I said, West Indies have a way of turning up in these events and we know the danger they possess from an explosive point of view and they’ve got some batters in form and some bowlers that are finding rhythm so making sure that we’re quite clear in what we’re trying to do and focusing solely on our execution.
[Reporter:]
And in South African terms, you know that if you’re playing at St. George’s Park, when you’re playing at Wanderers, those are two very different sets of conditions, but Wanderers and Santeria, maybe not so much. So I wonder, all this talk about black soil versus red soil is that different?
[Keshav Maharaj:]
To be honest I’ve tried to understand it as much as possible and I just try like on the day adapt and see what it’s giving you but now they generally say red soil and black soil is very different in terms of the reaction, so it’s our first three o’clock start tomorrow from this whole tournament, so it’s about adapting quicker rather than later.
[Reporter:]
Just on conditions, I mean, you guys have been here a lot now and everybody’s saying there’s an advantage to staying here, but the pitches are changing, so is there still that advantage?
[Keshav Maharaj:]
It’s nice to not travel, But from a pitch point of view, I think every game has been very different. The four matches that we’ve played here, conditions have played very differently throughout the game. So I won’t see it too much of an advantage. It’s just making sure that we adapt quicker rather than later compared to the opposition and focus on the execution of the adaption within the game.
[Reporter:]
And when you say adapt quickly I mean what do you do you watch two balls and then say okay it’s bouncing like this or how does that happen?
[Keshav Maharaj:]
Yeah generally the bowlers give feedback and Quin is brilliant behind the stumps and assessing conditions. Obviously he’s got the best view from anyone else. So getting that communication amongst the bowlers is really good. I know Swartz is also brilliant at that. Aiden, if you don’t know who Swartz is. And then it’s just about communicating like in terms of slowballs, cutters, probably the lengths those sort of thing. And yeah, that’s basically the adaption on the day. And then from the batting front is just saying, okay, this is our scoring areas based on the conditions that we’ve been posed with.
[Reporter:]
Just in terms of like – you beat India and that was a huge game, a lot of tension, and now you’re probably being spoken about as favourites, you’ve been in this position before. How do you deal with it personally and how is the team dealing with it, because the expectation is obviously growing?
[Keshav Maharaj:]
Yeah, I think coming back after the win against India, there was a real sort of energy and buzz to our camp. I mean, you beat probably the best side in the competition if you look at it. But we’re not getting carried away at that. We still know that there’s a lot of cricket to be played in this tournament. So, dusting ourselves off and doing things that we can do better from that game and focusing on the positives and keep building. Like I said, West Indies is a very strong side, a very dangerous side, so not to be taken for granted at any stage. But yeah, just focusing on what we can do really well and adapting very quickly.
[Reporter:]
You made light work of a really power-packed Indian batting lineup. West Indies have also been going hammer and tongs. They scored 254 against Zimbabwe. In that win, do you think that the toughest challenge for the South African bowling lineup will be tomorrow and how much of a confidence boost do you think your three wickets against India will be?
[Keshav Maharaj:]
I don’t think we made light work of the game but I think we were quite clinical in what we wanted to execute and that kudos goes to the fast bowlers as well in the way they tried and sort of set the plans up and it played dividends. But yeah like you said West Indies is an explosive batting unit so making sure that we come up with sound plans to try and combat their batters based on the conditions that we faced with. It is a day game so adapting quickly and finding those sort of one percenters that are going to help us on the day is going to be crucial tomorrow.
[Reporter:]
And also there will be a bit of a contrast in fan support because last time around you played in front of 90, 000 fans who were all, cheering for the Indian team. This time around your victory could be crucial for the Indian team as well, so we might have them supporting you. Are you looking forward to that?
[Keshav Maharaj:]
Yeah very much so, I think we’ve been received nicely in Ahmedabad from a crowd point of view and fan point of view, so hopefully much more of that.
[Reporter:]
Considering that West Indies have so many power hitters in their line-up and tomorrow is a day game, so what is ideal, setting them the target or otherwise?
[Keshav Maharaj:]
I wouldn’t be able to answer that. We’ll have to wait till tomorrow to see the conditions and what the captain feels on that.
[Reporter:]
Obviously getting into the business end of the tournament, you had like two really tough wins. I mean, you came back from 24-3 against India. The Afghanistan game could have gone either way. So being battle-hardened, how crucial it is going into the final stages of this event?
[Keshav Maharaj:]
I think it speaks to the character within the lineup and within our team and squad. And that’s a huge thing for us. In previous World Cups, we never crossed over those small moments. So we take the small victories and we keep building. If the character is strong in winning those small moments, it propels us to go further on in this tournament.
[Reporter:]
In the whole of the tournament, the spinners had an upper hand. What do you feel about tomorrow’s match? Because tomorrow is also going to be a very crucial match and you are the man who has turned the table upside down as far as India is concerned.
[Keshav Maharaj:]
Look it hasn’t spun too much in India. If I’m honest, it’s been really good wickets. The seamers have done well. I mean, someone like Lungi bowling four overs for like 16 runs is almost unheard of on such good wickets here generally – Jasprit from the other side. So yeah, West Indies have some amazing spinners in Motie and Akil. So I’m just trying to do my job and sort of compliment my fast bowlers. If it’s my time to take wickets, so be it. If not, I’m there to fulfil my role towards the fast bowlers, which they’ve done exceptionally well taking wickets in the power play, taking wickets in the middle overs and obviously at the depth they have been nice and clear.
[Reporter:]
We talk about the dew factor, it has been different from Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka in the evening you don’t have that much of dew factor but here you find it in some parts of the world especially here also. Is the dew factor taken into consideration before such a big pressure match for you? What do you think about that?
[Keshav Maharaj:]
Yes and no. We found that obviously the groundsman sprays a specific chemical on the surface in terms of the outfield. So as much as sort of dew comes in, it doesn’t make the ball wet, which sounds very contradictory. But yeah, I think certain parts of India, yes, the dew is a huge factor. But in Ahmedabad, it hasn’t been too much of a factor if you looked at it. Yeah, the ball still remained dry, because I think with dew, one of the biggest factors is the ball getting slippery, which it hasn’t gone so far.
[Reporter:]
I just want to ask if you recovered from that rugby tackle against Corbin Bosch and what you guys were doing in that moment.
[Keshav Maharaj:]
Yeah, the ball went up, I looked at him and he paused, so then I started going, so I didn’t hear a call or anything like that. As I dived, I saw him in my peripheral, so luckily I pulled out, otherwise I think my jaw might have been missing but I’m good. I’m all good
[Reporter:]
you’ve spoken about the seamers and how well they’ve been bowling and One big theme throughout the World Cup has been change ups and slower balls and stuff, But I was wondering for you as a left-arm spinner, do you have any like change up in variety or variations and always that more of lines or can you talk about that a bit?
[Keshav Maharaj:]
Yeah look I think because the wicket hasn’t assisted as much as I mean from a spin perspective it hasn’t really turned if I’m honest just trying to be wily and what I do whether it’s deceiving in the air or using lines and angles I think as a spinner of the modern generation you can’t be predictable in what you try – in terms of consistency from where you’re going to land the ball, unless the wicket is really turning. So yeah, I’m just trying to work, be one step ahead from the analysis work that I’m doing behind before the game and trying to implement those strategies that I come up with.
[Reporter:]
You all had a near perfect game against India. Your plans and execution of plans came up perfectly. Now you’re going to meet West Indies. Hetmyer is the danger man a s far as West Indies is concerned, is there any plan like that and for the others, like how to face the spinners of their team? As you said, it doesn’t turn much here. Skids more than turns. So does it skid because of the dew that comes on the pitch where there’s no chemical spray?
[Keshav Maharaj:]
Look, we’ve played two day games, yeah, so there wasn’t much of a dew factor. And then the game against India, the wicket was very different. It was obviously slowed down as the game went on, so I couldn’t really say from a skid perspective. Yeah, in terms of plans, I think guys have their own individual plans, which is important, because you don’t want to take away from the natural ability of someone, but finding their game plans within their own strengths and figuring out a way through these conversations that are happening with both, ball, and bat.
