South Africa and Delhi Daredevils star JP Duminy discusses the Proteas, their World Cup record and his time in IPL
Skin colour doesn't matter to us: Duminy
Q: Delhi are doing well at the moment with a change in the direction of the team in terms of a youth-first policy. You have been involved with this franchise for a long time - even captained them at one stage - so does this change in fortunes help put a finger on what went wrong earlier?
Duminy: It is difficult to pinpoint what has gone wrong but from the past two years we have definitely made great strides in the way we have performed. Last season it came down to 3-4 games where it went down to the wire and the matches could have turned our way, and then we would have easily made the playoffs. That’s the nature of T20 cricket and there are very small margins. So we were unlucky at times and it cannot be pointed as going wrong. But surely we need to improve on that performance. At the end of the day, it is about individuals performing in the big moments so we need to start doing that.
Q: And it is a similar situation with South Africa, who have always boasted high quality players and yet they can never get it right in the ICC events. What is going wrong there?
Duminy: I think it’s similarly hard to point out what is wrong. I don’t think anything is wrong to be honest. We have got the players and the staff to go all the way, but unfortunately it just hasn’t happened for us. Coming into the World T20 I thought we had improved a lot, especially considering (we made) the (50-over World Cup) semi-finals last year. We were in the semi-finals in the 2014 World T20 as well, losing to India. We aren’t making a lot of mistakes and it is just that we are getting outplayed in those tournaments. This time around our batting and bowling didn’t click together in any one match. It was alternate; either we weren’t doing well with bat or ball. We scored 230 against England and still couldn’t win the game. So it is hard to answer that question because there are different opinions as to why it is not happening. All I know is that we have given it our best shot and we have ended up on the losing side most of the time, but I also think we are very close to winning an ICC event.
Q: South Africa experienced a heart-breaking semi-final loss in the 2015 ODI World Cup. Is it tougher to get over a loss like that, or the recent T20 one, where it didn’t kick off from the beginning?
Duminy: I don’t think any one moment is tougher than the other. Individually, that semi-final loss could have been tougher for some guys. But you end up feeling the same afterwards, either way. For me, at the end of the day, the tournament is over and it is in the past. So it is about picking yourself up and moving on knowing that you have given your best. That is every cricketer's mantra I think.
Q: There is a bit going on in South African cricket at the moment about transformation and inclusion of players of colour. How does it affect the dressing room?
Duminy: No, I don’t think it affects the players at all. From a managerial point of view, it can have an impact and makes their job difficult. But from a dressing room point of view, the colour of the skin doesn’t matter. When it comes to playing for the national team, we feel that you have been picked on merit for your abilities. There is always going to be politics around various selection issues and it is not just with South Africa. For any team, there will be selection politics. But for us, as players, we don’t get involved with that. Our sole job is to play out there on the field and we focus on that.
Q: You have played for different franchises in the IPL and now have settled down with the Delhi Daredevils. How has this experience been?
Duminy: I have enjoyed it immensely while playing for different teams and the great thing about the IPL is that you build friendships outside your own country. You get to understand the different cultures within one team and that’s been the most rewarding part of being in the IPL, apart from the playing experience in front of packed crowds.
Q: Does playing franchise cricket in foreign conditions help in neutralising any home advantage when it comes to international cricket? Is there a trend to be seen in franchise cricket here?
Duminy: Yes, I think so. Most international players have now played in the Indian conditions and it has sort of neutralised that advantage in terms of playing here, whether in IPL or on international tours. It is still a great challenge, because conditions differ from place to place here, and you still have to perform in those conditions. From a South African point of view we did well during in the limited-overs here in autumn last year. So you get a lot of confidence out of that.
Q: Can you talk about Rahul Dravid’s role as mentor of the Delhi Daredevils?
Duminy: It has been a short time but he has been a great help so far. He has had a similar role with Rajasthan Royals and he has a fair share of success with them. He brings a different dimension to our team and the type of character he is, he wears his heart on his sleeve, and he commits a hundred per cent to whatever he puts his mind to. That’s what you want from a coach, that he understands his players. I think man management, from a player’s point of view, is very crucial in these types of tournaments. The way he manages us as international players gives us the tools to be successful as a team.