Young titans take giant steps

Sharing space with the giants of cricket are four South African newcomers — Kaber,Schoeman,Mosehle and von Berg — are part of the Eastern Titans franchise of South Africa,and in the mix of Daredevils practice sessions as part of a partnership between the two franchisees,to soak in vital experience of playing in sub-continental conditions,and interacting with the experienced IPL squad members.

Von Berg is a leg-spinner,Kaber belongs to a rare chinaman group,Schoeman is a batsman while Mosehle is a wicketkeeper,and together they comprise the best young talent in Pretoria. The South Africans will be part of four practice sessions and will travel along with the team to witness the first three matches to get a first hand experience of the cricket culture in the country.

The Titans have their intentions clear and their work path cleanly charted out. Von Berg has already found in Amit Mishra to teach him a few tricks during the week,while Mosehle is keenly awaiting the arrival of Dinesh Karthik. Schoeman is excited about watching the likes of Sehwag,Gambhir and Dilshan from close quarters even as Kaber shyly admits waiting to ply his trade and test his mettle against them.

“We all heard about India and how it’s the most popular sport here. I am here to experience it and learn more about spin bowling. After all India is the spin centre of the world,” says von Berg. Kaber recalls the IPL played in South Africa last year and the focus it got there and says there’s a lot of scope for a spin bowler back home in South Africa. “When I was growing up,spin was heavily promoted and I decided to become a spinner. I am here just to get more exposure and bowl to different batsmen on these wickets and learn how to utilise the conditions,” he says.

“T20 as a format is really exciting,especially for a batsman and I will be keen to have a go in conditions that is well-suited for playing a few big hits,” Schoeman adds.

Mosehle says he’s heard that keeping wickets on sub-continent tracks is a difficult task. “Back home I have heard that its tough to keep wickets to spinners in these conditions. I am looking forward to talk to Karthik and get details of how to cope with it,” he says.

A quick change of jerseys,from light blue to dark tones of blue-red combination of Daredevils,and the boys are ready for their first game in Indian conditions under lights. The stadium is still empty as one would expect from a practice game — apart from a few hundreds who are busy giving the final touches to the stadium. Nannes’ simulation of the crowd has caught the South African boys’ fascination,and after a feel of the Indian pitches,they are eager to soak in the off-the field experience as well.

Mutual benefit

Amrit Mathur,Chief Operating Officer of the Delhi Daredevils,meanwhile,said this tie-up will be beneficial for both teams to set a feeder link to the senior team.

“We look forward to having the Titans interact with our youngsters as also the experienced members to foster a partnership that will benefit both teams. We also look forward to having our youngsters visit South Africa in the near future to experience their conditions and learn more about international cricket,” he said.