Chance to measure ourselves against one of the best sides: Pretorius

South African all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius feels the T20 series against India offers a good benchmark for his side in its preparation for the World T20 in Australia later this year.

“I think India has a very strong T20 side. We also have come a very long way and have a very strong T20 side as well. Obviously, if we do well, we can measure ourselves against one of the best teams in T20 cricket, to see where we are and what we need to work on before we get to the World Cup,” said Pretorius at a press conference on Monday.

On his personal goals for the series, the 33-year-old remarked, “to test oneself as a player against some of the best T20 players in the world. It is something that I would like to pride myself on. Will push myself hard and strive to make a good impact so that we can win the series. It is very important that we win and get a positive momentum, going into the World Cup.”

In awe of Dhoni

Pretorius, who made his IPL debut with Chennai Super Kings this season, said it was not only a thing ticked off his bucket list but also learnt a lot from playing under M.S. Dhoni.

“The biggest thing that I learned from him is how calm he is at the crease and how much he tries to take pressure off himself and tries to put it on the bowler.”

“He doesn’t get too excited, is very optimistic, and believes anything is always possible. I love that about him. I am gonna obviously try and bring that into my game, not only the calmness but also the self-belief that a game can be won from any position, ” said Pretorius.