IND vs SA: "IPL Auction Was Not Even On My Mind"- Rilee Rossouw After Scoring Ton In 3rd T20I vs India

After scoring two noughts in the first two T20 matches, South African batter Rilee Rossouw claimed that finding form is simply a question of time as long as one is confident in their ability.

Rossouw, who made his debut for South Africa in 2014, has played in 36 ODIs and 21 T20s despite being in and out of the team. He has played all over the world, but he has created a name for himself in franchise cricket. 

In the third T20 on Tuesday, the southpaw was in deadly form, smashing an undefeated first 100 off 48 balls to set up his team’s 49-run victory over India. 

The Auction Is Not In My Control: Rilee Rossouw

The IPL auction is coming up, but Rilee Rossouw claimed it was the furthest thing from his thoughts since he simply wanted to get a run. 

“As a professional sportsman you are going to have bad times. It is just about backing yourself having the confidence in your ability no matter what type of form you are in. Had a chat with our assistant coach. Confidence plays a big part in scoring runs,” Rossouw said at the post-match press conference. 

“I really believe in my ability, I have shown it throughout the world. It is never a confidence issue for me, it is just formed,” he added. 

Rossouw’s exceptional hit on Tuesday certainly drew a lot of attention, considering that he last participated in the IPL in 2015. 

“The auction is not in my control. It was not even on my mind. I was just trying to get one run tonight first. It panned out pretty well for me,” said the left-hander on a lighter note. 

Great To See Quinton de Kock In Such Fine Form: Rilee Rossouw

Ahead of the T20 World Cup, he said that it was good to watch Quinton de Kock bat at his best. 

“The one shot that he swept across and hit it for six…it felt like tonight it was going to be something special. Great to see him in such fine form right before the T20 world cup.”  

The following round of three ODIs will have a full-strength South Africa taking on a backup India. 

When questioned about the lessons learned from the three T20 matches played in India, Rilee Rossouw responded as follows: “In the first game, we were kind of shell shocked about how India really swung the ball. We went back to the drawing the board and thought about how we are going to approach the next two games. 

“In the second game we learnt more and tonight we were able put up a performance together with both bat and ball.”

He added that the squad had a plan in place for how to perform in significantly different circumstances during the World Cup in Australia, but he gave no other information. 

Rilee Rossouw Backs Skipper Temba Bavuma

With each failure, the pressure on captain Temba Bavuma, who is now going through a lean period, grows. According to Rossouw, the squad has its leader’s entire support. 

“I don’t think it affects the team. We spoke about it. If someone is going to have a good day, they can carry weight off someone who is not in great form. It takes one knock and Temba can in the form of his life going into the world cup. 

“We need to be there for him as a team. Every professional goes through this and it is about backing him, his ability. His captaincy has been really good,” he added 

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