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Warriors ready for battle

Last Updated 19 September 2011, 17:04 IST
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“Friday night is going to be a big game for us against the Royal Challengers. We know what to expect from the RCB. As I said, we’ll try and start well in the game to get two points, as it will give a boost to the team,” said the skipper of the South African outfit.

Botha said his team has had a solid build-up in the run-up to CLT20. “It’s off-season in South Africa. We’ve had a good build up for the last three months. We will definitely have pressure, and that’s the beauty of the sport. But we will have start all over again. No one is going to say 'here's the final, play it'. We have to prove that home conditions is not what we are all about,” he said.

Botha is no stranger to Indian conditions as he has played for Rajasthan Royals in IPL IV. “I had a real good time playing in the IPL-4 for the Royals. In T20, the more you play the better you get. Our match here in the IPL was rained out, but we had a good World Cup warm-up game against Australia. There are few of us who know the conditions well but few youngsters will also have to adapt.”

“We have good batting line-up with (Mark) Boucher at number four and few youngsters at the top, and they, I hope, will put their hands up in the absence of Davy Jacobs,” he added. The big-hitting Jacobs will play for Mumbai Indians in the CLT20.

Warriors’ coach Piet Botha too hoped that youngsters will come to the fore. “We have given the young players in our side a mental picture of the conditions, how to bat and what to expect on Indian wickets. The remaining couple of days will be important for us before the Friday game. Some of our players have played here and know the conditions. For the young players in the team, adapting quickly is important.”

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(Published 19 September 2011, 17:04 IST)

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