Stubbs leans on senior Proteas as South Africa aim to bounce back in India

Proteas batter Tristan Stubbs welcomes having senior players Quinton de Kock, David Miller and Anrich Nortje back in the national set-up, as the youngsters get to absorb valuable learnings from the experienced trio.

When Stubbs made his debut in Delhi three years ago, following an impressive CSA T20 Challenge, he had the best seat in the house to watch Miller smash an unbeaten 31-ball 64, a knock that included five sixes and four boundaries as the Proteas chased down 212 with five balls to spare.

In his three-year T20I career, the 25-year-old has benefited from having the three senior players around him to guide him as he acclimatised to international cricket. However, after the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final, the trio have played very little T20I cricket, and for the first time, Stubbs has had to step up and fill their shoes as a more senior player in the batting line-up.

This week, Stubbs has been reunited with the trio in the Proteas T20I squad, as they look to bounce back from the embarrassing 101-run defeat in Cuttack on Tuesday. Ahead of the second T20I in New Chandigarh on Thursday, the youngster is leaning on the knowledge of the experienced players to help carry the team through.

“It’s really good to have some of the guys who were there when I first came into the team again, like Quinny, Anna and Miller,” Stubbs said.

“They just bring so much experience, and I just like being around them. There’s so much to learn from them.

“They’ve done it for years, so it’s been really cool having them all back, and it’s an exciting series ahead. I think all the boys are ready to get going.”

As a result, Stubbs is excited to take on the hosts in the often sold-out stadiums across the country.

“It’s exciting. T20 cricket in India is always really fun, and I’m looking forward to an exciting series ahead. The energy in the camp has been really good,” he said. “Playing T20s here, I obviously play a lot of cricket in these conditions; they’re always really good for batting.”

Stubbs is aware that Indian supporters will be fully behind their team. However, having stunned India in the recently concluded Test series, the explosive batter also understands that the crowd can be silenced by strong performances.

“The Indian supporters – in normal IPL games – are crazy, so now the whole crowd’s supporting India. It’s awesome. It’s a privilege to play here,” Stubbs said.

“You can’t really explain the vibe in the grounds. It’s really loud, and it’s really awesome. They’ll give a lot of support, but there have been a couple of times when the crowd goes quiet, and that in itself is pretty cool.”

The second T20I gets underway in New Chandigarh at 3.30pm on Thursday, with the Proteas looking to level the series.