The 33-year-old right-handed South Africa batsman Farhaan Behardien, who has been appointed as the skipper for two Twenty20 internationals against Sri Lanka, said he is ready to face the challenge that captaincy brings at the biggest level.
The Johannesburg-born Behardien has been one of the best performers in the domestic circuit for the Proteas, but his international numbers suggest something else.
“I didn’t cover myself in glory three or four years back but it’s also tough to make it on the international stage. I just try not to think too much about what other people think,” Behardien said.
“I know when I haven’t performed and when I don’t do well, we tend to lose because its such a high-pressure job. Batting at No 5, 6 and 7 is high risk-high reward,” He added.
Behardien has been touted as the best batting all-rounder in the country, but he is yet to meet the expectations at the international stage.
Behardien has batted mostly lower down-the-order but after been given the role of some sort of a finisher for the Proteas, he has shown a lot of improvement.
“Our style was for the players to empower themselves and to make their own decisions. When the pressure moment is on, they need to make good decisions,” Behardien further added.
While praising the new-look team, Behardien expressed that players are practicing hard to give their best on field.
“All these players have showed unbelievable form in the T20 challenge. Our practice sessions have been very intense and guys are looking to impress the selectors and the coaches,” Behardien concluded.
It will be a litmus test for Behardien to lead the inexperienced side before setting the mark in shortest format of the game.
For South Africa, Behardien has played 51 ODIs, 25 T20Is where he averages 30.58 and 23.20 respectively.