"We've played them here before and we've beaten them here before" - Rassie van der Dussen on upcoming India clash of 2023 World Cup
South African batter Rassie van der Dussen welcomed the challenge of facing India in their next outing of the 2023 World Cup at the Eden Gardens on Sunday, November 5.
South Africa, led by a sensational 133 from Van der Dussen, decimated New Zealand to record a 190-run victory to go on top of the points table. However, India are the only unbeaten side in the competition and will pip them to pole position should they defeat Sri Lanka in Mumbai today.
Despite being faced with the daunting task of challenging India at home, Van der Dussen remained upbeat by stating that they have beaten the hosts several times.
Addressing reporters after the New Zealand clash, Van der Dussen said:
"The challenge is to under pressure, to stay with that, and that's what we'll look to do. But we've played them here before and we've beaten them here before. So, in a sense, it's, even though it's a World Cup, it's not really too much different. We won't be looking at that too much. Yeah, if that answers your question."
The 34-year-old praised India's ability and experience with bat and ball but reasserted that they could upstage the hosts by following their game plan to perfection.
"So obviously, playing India in India is a massive event," Rassie van der Dussen said. "They've been playing really well. A lot of experience in their team. They've got all bases covered, brilliant bowling attack and obviously the batting as well.
"But again, like I said, we'll go into that game knowing that if we do the things well that we want to do, we'll be in a really strong position."
The Proteas have won four of the last six ODI meetings against Team India, including a 3-0 sweep of the Asian giants at home in 2022.
However, India have won the last two ODI World Cup meetings between the sides and emerged victorious in the most recent series 2-1 at home last year.
"Focusing on what we want to do and how we want to play it" - Rassie van der Dussen
Rassie van der Dussen asserted that the side is focused on following their approach and strategy for each game without being perturbed by the opposition they face.
The African side have won all but one game against the Netherlands to be on 12 points in seven games. They have also dismantled opponents when batting first, winning by massive margins in all five instances.
"I think what we've done really well in this campaign is we're really just focusing on what we want to do and how we want to play it. In our match review meetings, we keep looking at the numbers with the coaches and so far in this tournament, by most metrics, we're stacking up pretty well," Van der Dussen said.
"So, at the end of the day, it's almost irrelevant who's in front of you. We know if we play the way we want to play and execute how we want to and take the correct options, especially under pressure, then the result is a byproduct of that," he concluded.
India and South Africa have almost certainly booked their place in the semi-final, barring a miraculous turnaround in fortunes.
As the Proteas await the India challenge, Rohit Sharma and company will look to reclaim the top spot with a win over Sri Lanka in Mumbai today.