‘No excuses’: Head coach Rob Walter reflects on South Africa’s 1-3 defeat to India

Johannesburg(The Uttam Hindu): South Africa's white-ball coach, Rob Walter, refused to make excuses for his team’s 3-1 T20I series defeat to India but highlighted the ongoing "balancing act" of fielding competitive XIs while expanding the player pool.Speaking after South Africa's crushing 135-run loss in the fourth T20I at the Wanderers, Walter took responsibility for the team's performance but also defended the long-term strategy of exposing younger players to top-level cricket. Walter was candid in his assessment, admitting that while resting senior players and introducing newcomers is necessary, it doesn't justify underwhelming results. "We still need to be better, and that starts with me as the head coach of the team. To grow the net of players, there are times we have to play younger guys, even in big series against good teams. Ultimately, that's where they're going to learn the most. But it’s a balancing act, and there’s no right or wrong way. We’re trying to get it right," Walter said in the post-match press conference South Africa’s bowling attack bore the brunt of the criticism, having conceded over 200 runs in three of the four matches.

Without key pacers Kagiso Rabada (rested), Lungi Ngidi (injured), Anrich Nortje, and Tabraiz Shamsi (both uncontracted but available), the attack appeared inexperienced and underprepared. Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee returned after extended injury layoffs, Andile Simelane debuted, Nqaba Peter played his first home internationals, and Lutho Sipamla returned after a three-year absence. Keshav Maharaj, the most senior player, struggled to rally the inexperienced unit. Walter emphasised that the decision to rest senior players was deliberate and crucial for long-term team development. "When we go to world tournaments, we’re picking our very best 15 players, but we can’t pick those same players every single time we play. It’s just not feasible. It’s too much cricket," he said. "The rest of the time, we have to build our base of players to the same level, which is what you’re seeing with the Indian side. Their fringe players are stepping up and creating pressure on the guys in the main XI."

India’s depth shone during the series, with only four members of their T20 World Cup-winning XI participating. Meanwhile, South Africa’s player pool remains under development, a reality exacerbated by challenges unique to their cricketing ecosystem. Walter highlighted the difficulty of retaining players in the international setup amid lucrative opportunities in franchise cricket, particularly in South Africa, where the weaker Rand struggles to compete with the dollar-dominated league payments. "The national side is competing with franchise cricket. The money lies in franchise cricket, not international cricket. That’s the reality we live in," Walter admitted, acknowledging the decisions of Nortje and Shamsi to forgo national contracts. "A guy like Anrich, I certainly wouldn't doubt his want to play for South Africa and his commitment to do that. But he made a decision personally around contracting so that he could move away from playing Test cricket for a while. I think physically he was finding it a bit tough to do everything and I respect that," Walter said.

Nortje, recovering from a severe injury, stepped away from Test cricket to manage his workload but remains available for white-ball assignments. Shamsi made a similar decision. "At the end of the day, when it comes to the world tournaments, we want to pick our best side. And if he is one of those best players, we consider him. Shammo has done exactly the same thing. We need to be cognisant of what's happening in world cricket. It's not easy and the national side is competing with franchise cricket. The money lies in franchise cricket, not international cricket. That's the reality that we live in.” South Africa’s struggles in the bilateral T20I series stand in stark contrast to their performance in the T20 World Cup, where Walter became the only coach to lead the men’s team to a major tournament final. Since his appointment in February 2023, South Africa has failed to win any of their seven bilateral T20I series, an "incredibly difficult" reality to accept, according to Walter.

"At tournaments, we’re able to pick our best squad, but bilateral series require rotation and experimentation, especially with the amount of cricket being played globally," Walter explained. "We’re trying to get rest, rotation, and exposure right, but we know it’s not an easy process." Despite the disappointing series result, Walter remains focused on the bigger picture of creating a deeper player pool that can withstand the pressures of international cricket and franchise competition. "The balancing act continues," he sighed, emphasising the need for patience and strategic planning in navigating the complexities of modern cricket.