Chokers' tag: SA need to embrace that fact, says Rhodes

"Every year, from what I have seen, somebody talks about the 'C' word. We have had a lot of discussions and one thing that we have decided is that we aren't going to speak about it," South Africa coach Ottis Gibson had said in a recent interview.

The Proteas, despite possessing tremendous firepower, are reminded of their chokers' tag ahead of every World Cup. It's natural for any team to feel suffocated by the unceasing bad reputation. Jonty Rhodes, part of the South Africa sides that failed to clinch the Cup on four occasions (1992-2003), however, felt it is futile to run away from the reality.

"If you don't talk about choking, everyone else will. You shouldn't deny something that's true," said Rhodes, who was in the city to talk on Evolution Sports Nutrition (ESN), an Indo-South African company, of which he is one of the directors.

"It's interesting how our journey at the World Cups has been. In 1999 we were called chokers after we lost the semifinal. In 2003, it was rain that stopped us but we were tagged as chokers again because we got the calculations wrong. I remember in 2011, we went down to New Zealand in the quarterfinals. Faf (du Plessis) ran AB (de Villiers) out and the Kiwi players mocked him.

"Well, if you think you will choke when you mention about it then you have lost the battle even before it has begun. You need to embrace the fact or maybe even joke about it. If people are talking about it and you are in denial, then you are in trouble. I have been called far worse but that's how it is. Even people back home call the team chokers. If you can't handle it then you shouldn't be playing the World Cup," Rhodes said.

Having produced some exciting players, South Africa are big crowd favourites. One of the biggest of entertainers of the game -- AB de Villiers -- has hung up his boots, taking the sheen off the Proteas squad. The retirement of a player of de Villiers' stature has expectedly jolted South Africa, with their batting struggling for consistency.

"Not having AB can't be an advantage in any way because you can't replace a player like him. But what it does is that it takes the focus away from the team. South Africa are travelling to this World Cup under the radar. India are known for their balance while England are in great form. Australia have history on their side. But with South Africa, nobody is expecting them to win. Back home, the World Cup mood hasn't set in because we just had our elections, like in India. So with fewer expectations, we just have to focus and take one game at a time," he offered.

Injuries and poor form have hit South Africa's preparations. "It's going to be difficult for them. All three of their pacers have just recovered from injuries. Ngidi (Lungi) will be playing his first match since March. Steyn (Dale) makes great comebacks but he gets injured soon. Rabada (Kagiso) had to be rested because he had played so much cricket. Amla (Hashim) needs to find form. The middle-order is fragile. So it will be a big challenge for South Africa," he said.