Before the T20 World Cup final versus India here, captain Aiden Markram said that South Africa, who are not recognized for their ability to perform well under pressure, had a strong feeling that they could win in any circumstance because of their tight victories in this championship.

While South Africa is playing in their first-ever World Cup final, India, a squad loaded with superstars, will have to face the burden of not having won an ICC trophy since 2013.

Anticipating the summit confrontation on Saturday, Markram was duly reminded of previous instances when Proteas had buckled under duress.

To be honest, I think of it as simply another cricket game. India is a terrific squad, as we all know. South Africa as a team has been kind of heading in the correct direction over the last couple of years, while we may not have advanced as far in tournaments as we would have wanted.

Markram said, “So, tomorrow is going to be an exciting occasion against a good opposition in India, but it’s also a nice opportunity for us as the Proteas.”

India and South Africa are undefeated going into the championship, but the former has had several setbacks.

Earlier in the tournament, they just about made it past Bangladesh and Nepal. Even the low-scoring match versus the West Indies, the co-hosts, was well matched.

Markram said that his team wouldn’t accept a second-place result since they had gained a great deal of confidence from those tight victories.

“We have won tight games that may have changed the outcome, but we still prevailed in such situations.

“I think it’s pretty important for a team to have that belief that you can win from any position,” Markram said. “We’ve done them two, three, maybe four times throughout the competition so far.”

South Africa also has a lot going for it, even though India is the clear favorite to win.

They are eager to write a new chapter in the turbulent history of the country, but they haven’t had much time to reflect on the occasion due to their busy schedule.

“You play a game, board an aircraft, take off, land, check into a different hotel, and play cricket the following day. Thus, I don’t believe that reflecting occurs excessively.

“But more than anything, I’m excited about the chance we have to be in a final.

Markram said that his squad is “going in the right direction,” regardless of the outcome on Saturday.

“Yeah, we would certainly like to make it to our first final and succeed there.” And perhaps it will lessen the negative things that a lot of other people are saying about our team in the years to come,” he said.

When faced with a seven-hour delay in Trinidad owing to a runway closure in Barbados, Markram opted to focus on the bright side.

Yes, there have been a few (also in Florida). I’m sure many other teams have had similar circumstances. As a team, we make jokes about it and remark that we’ve become used to it.

“Sulking about and making things appear even more unpleasant than they actually are serves no purpose. Thus, yesterday was a little bit longer than usual (laughs).

After defeating Afghanistan in the semifinals, Markram said, “You say, ‘Guys, we’ve still got one more step to go.'” It is thus not led by the captain or the coach. That’s kind of how the whole thing feels and operates.

Nobody wants to lose, particularly not in a championship game, and athletes are very competitive individuals. Therefore, I don’t believe the boys are happy with the outcome of tomorrow’s game. I believe that there is still a great desire for us to win the game tomorrow.