SA shift focus to second T20 against India
It can only be in India where on the eve of a T20 International‚ the relevance of winning an Indian Premier League title can be weighed up against winning an international tournament.
That's what faced Proteas T20 captain Quinton de Kock‚ who smartly didn't avoid the question but betrayed SA's chronic tournament failure since re-admission in 1991.
Since the 1992 Cricket World Cup‚ South Africa only have the 1998 ICC Champions Trophy to show for their efforts.
There have been near-misses‚ crash and burns and significantly‚ the chokes that have taken place.
There's no background for success for De Kock to base on in regards with SA cricket from white ball perspective.
De Kock's an honest person and that quality came through his response.
“It's the biggest thing I've won so far.
"I haven't won the World Cup. Once I win a World Cup and if I do‚ it's going to be the biggest thing I've ever done in my career.
"So far‚ it's an IPL final and I played for a couple of teams that didn't make the play-offs. I played for Mumbai and we won‚” De Kock said.
“It's a big achievement for any cricketer. They want to win IPL finals and they want to be part of World Cup finals and win them.
"Personally it's different for everyone and they have their opinions. Mine is mine and theirs is theirs. The IPL is the biggest thing I've achieved so far.”
What should have been the first of three T20's in Dharamsala was washed because of persistent rain.
The weather‚ though‚ isn't a threat for Wednesday second game in Mohali where De Kock's captaincy reign should splutter into some sort of life.
It's that time of the cricketing calendar where the shortest format has to be prioritised.
The format's World Cup takes place next year in Australia and both teams have to sort out how they approach T20 cricket.
From a South African perspective‚ it's not clear how they want to go about their business even though the squad had a number of seasoned domestic performers.
India‚ on the other hand‚ are battling to find a balance between the accumulation that generally works for them in 50-cricket‚ but fails them in 20-over shoot-outs where the weight of boundaries shift the destination of matches decisively.
Being a simple thinker‚ De Kock isn't worried about the future‚ nor the captaincy responsibility that's been given to him.
“I'm not too concerned. It's just a stepping stone in my career.
"It just gives me that extra bit of responsibility in the team. We'll see how it goes because it could affect me negatively or positively.
"I'm unsure at the moment but I hope it gives me the positive option in the team.
"I also hope I can still do well for the team and do the best I can do‚” De Kock said.