Out of favour South African all-rounder Albie Morkel says India's hammering of the Proteas at the MCG demonstrated that the defending champions are capable of blowing any team away in the World Cup and big-ticket ICC events bring out the best in them.
Even though Morkel was on a holiday, he did manage to catch up with Sunday’s game.
"Of course I did (watch the game) and the outcome was unexpected. It surely was not the best day out for the Proteas. India on their day will blow most teams away and that is what happened at the MCG. Having said that, South Africa will bounce back," Morkel said.
India run the World Cup has surprised a few quarters, considering the team was winless in the preceding tour of Australia.
The ‘chokers’ tag has been haunting South Africa in the World Cups, but Morkel fails to put a finger on it.
"It is difficult to pin point exactly why this has been the case. You need your senior players to stand up in big games and India have been very good in that regard. Maybe this time it will be the turn of Proteas".
Considering the way the teams have played so far, Morkel has both and India and South Africa in his semifinal line-up. However, he rues the lack of a proper all-rounder in the side.
"Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and India are my picks. Maybe it won't work out that way but for me those are the four best teams. Personally, I hope the Proteas go all the way this time. They have got a strong squad yes but I do think the all-rounder's position is not settled yet," said the 33-year-old, who is also brother of leading Proteas' pacer Morne Morkel.
Having represented South Africa in the World T20, Morkel has lived with the pressure of shedding the chokers' tag once and for all.
Interestingly, South African Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula had told the World Cup-bound squad to not return home as a bunch of losers.
Does a statement like that affect the mindset of the players?
"I am not aware of that statement but yes we are a very proud nation and we love sport. There will always be an expectation to win. People get worked up quickly when things don't go as planned but still the Proteas are a strong brand with lots of strong individuals, so statements like that would not have an effect on how the teams play and perform," said Morkel.
