Kolkata, March 3 Aiden Markram has been a prolific batsman in T20Is during the ongoing World Cup, but for this to happen, the South African captain had to train his mind to suppress his "captain" instincts whenever he went out to bat.
Markram, who has excelled as an opener in T20Is, has so far scored 268 runs in the tournament at a strike rate of 175.16, including three fifties, one of which was against New Zealand in a group league match in Ahmedabad last month.
Has he been able to separate his role as a batter from that of a captain?
"I've been working on this a lot over the years. Just focusing on being a batter when I'm out there batting. But I think as a captain, you always want to get the team to victory, and perhaps because of that, you don't fully focus on just watching the ball and reacting," Markram said, speaking ahead of the semi-final against New Zealand on Wednesday.
"But yeah, I've learned from the T20 World Cup and recent months that it's important to make a conscious effort to separate the two roles," he added.
He has perhaps now understood that if his "batter" instincts take over, it ultimately helps the captain to win a game for his country.
"If you do your job as a batter for the team, ultimately, it will contribute, hopefully, to a winning effort. And that's where I focus," Markram said.
Regarding his batting in the powerplay, Markram's philosophy has been simple.
"You have to get on with it and try to dominate the opposition and get the team off to a strong start," the captain said.
He believes that if he remains in the middle after the powerplay, the opportunity to attack remains.
"I've just tried to focus on winning those first six overs, and then, if I'm still there, keep doing that and try to dominate," he said.
"But you can probably be a bit more strategic in that period after the powerplay. So, yeah, you can take it on. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, and sometimes it can be quite effective."
South Africa has had a phenomenal record under Markram's captaincy in ICC games so far, having lost only the final of the 2024 edition to India in Barbados. A lot of this is down to the kind of team he has at his disposal.
"I'm fortunate to lead a strong team – a great mix of young and experienced players," he said.
"And yeah, you learn from the senior players in the team. They help guide and lead you when you have doubts."
"And I think because of that, and a strong group of players over the years, we've developed that, and fortunately, it reflects well, but yeah, it's definitely a reflection of the team as a whole," the captain said.
Having watched the India versus West Indies game with interest, Markram believes that the black soil tracks at Eden Gardens will once again be conducive to scoring runs.
"It looks pretty good again. So, I think it's the black soil."
Markram had been instrumental in New Zealand's defeat in the group league match in Ahmedabad, where he scored 86 off just 44 balls in a chase of 176 at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Asked if he expects a repeat performance, the Proteas skipper could only laugh.
"I wish cricket was that easy. New Zealand is a strong team. We had a good run against them in the group stages, but yeah, both teams have played a lot of cricket since then, and it's a completely fresh start tomorrow, and being in the semi-final is exciting as well."
"So, I don't think it's as straightforward as just being able to repeat that again. There are a lot of variables in this game. We will try to bring our best game to the front."
When someone asked if the "law of averages" could catch up with them, he wasn't amused.
"Yeah, I don't know how it's going to work out tomorrow night. None of us do, but you can look at it through various different lenses. If you want to look at it that way, then I don't think you'd be a very clever man if you were sitting in our change room," his smiling reply indicated that winning is the only thing on the minds of the 'Green Shirts'.
