Not Dale Steyn! Marco Jansen reveals his idol ahead of the semi-final 1 against New Zealand

Marco Jansen has undoubtedly had the two best phases of his career at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. While he hit rock bottom at this very venue in 2023, he bounced back from the ashes here in Kolkata in 2025, leading his team to one of the most memorable victories in their history.

South Africa will be playing their match at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. They will be up against New Zealand in the contest. Considering New Zealand's power-packed opening duo, the powerplay will be a crucial phase in their batting innings, and South Africa would expect something from their lanky pacemen, Marco Jansen and Lungi Ngidi.

This ground has always had special significance in World cricket, and the crowd here in Kolkata offers some excitement to any team that visits here. For Marco Jansen, the Eden Gardens was once a nightmare ground; however, his fate turned at this very venue as well.

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Flopstar to Superstar: Marco Jansen's love-hate affair with the Eden Gardens

When a young Marco Jansen bowled for the first time at the Eden Gardens, things got really bad. Jansen went from being the CWC 2023's top powerplay bowler to falling apart against the home side. The Indian team, led by captain Rohit Sharma targetted and attacked him, taking him for 94 runs in his 9.4 overs. He bowled a total of 7 wides and a no-ball in that game.

The nightmare at the Eden Gardens continued for him when South Africa met Australia in the semi-finals, and he was removed from the bowling much earlier than he would have expected. He was taken for 35 runs in his 4.2 overs. Without a single scalp at the venue, he had almost given up on his chances to deliver on the Indian wickets.

Not until South Africa's arrival at the same Eden Gardens for the first Test against India in 2025 could Jansen ever restore the belief in himself. The attributes he learned in Kolkata helped him to lead South Africa to one of the most iconic victories in their history, as he picked 6/48 in the first innings of the next game at Guwahati.

The 25-year-old Jansen had never had the memory of South Africa ever winning a Test series in India, until he himself was part of one of the memorable and iconic triumphs for the Proteas.

Marco Jansen makes a massive revelation on using Jasprit Bumrah's hack to dismiss Indian batters

As Marco Jansen speaks about what made him a different player after that Kolkata Test, he reveals having taken a massive learning after having witnessed Jasprit Bumrah's bowling. He observed the legendary Indian pacer closely after he picked a five-wicket haul.

"In the first Test match [in Kolkata], I looked at [Jasprit Bumrah], at the replays of his wickets, and I saw from his hand and the ball that there were so many revs on the ball. I figured, let me just try and emulate what he's doing," Marco said in New Delhi after South Africa entered the semis.

He then continued that having tried and implemented the same, he found that the ball started moving off the wicket, and the same sharp, quick movement helped him get two wickets quickly later in the game.

However, despite having credited Bumrah, he went on to claim that the 93-run innings in Guwahati was the actual game-changer for him. After that inning with the bat, he became more confident and gained the belief to perform in India.

What does Jansen bring to the plate for South Africa this time at the Eden Gardens?

In this T20 World Cup, Marco Jansen has brought a new dish to serve for South Africa. He has been South Africa's second leading wicket taker and the fifth overall. A special addition to his skill set coming into this World Cup is his knuckleball, which he recreated as the 'sort of palm ball,' since it is held for a longer time in the hand.

When this ball lands on a perfect note, it is a deadly deceiving delivery, as it takes around 25 kmph pace off the ball as compared to his stock delivery.

"I always felt like I had to add a different ball to my arsenal. I always had the offcutter and I tried bowling the legcutter, but with my action it doesn't work," he says. "So I tried the knuckleball, and it came out really well, but I felt like the batters could pick it up," noted Marco Jansen.

"Then I tried the palm ball, putting the ball deep in my hand. It came out nicely, but it wasn't as consistent, and now it's a case of it's a mixture of the two. I'm just working on trying to hide it as well as I can," he added.

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