Both South Africa and India are appearing in their first-ever World Cup final, and a new champion will be crowned on Sunday. There’s no doubt that the atmosphere during the final will be electric, especially with the home team in action. 

The mood in the Proteas camp is at an all-time high after reaching their first-ever 50-over World Cup final, but it’s not entirely new territory as they’ve played in back-to-back T20 World Cup finals in Cape Town and Dubai.

Proteas celebrating an Indian wicket in Visakhapatnam. Photo: ICC

Being the first senior national side to contest a global showpiece final will certainly bring some nerves - and rightly so, as it would be a worry if there weren’t any.

South Africa, however, will take confidence from the fact that earlier in the tournament, the Proteas fought back to beat India by three wickets, despite the odds being heavily stacked against them.

Mashimbyi told OFM Sport it’s crucial that the players stay in the moment, and that they already have processes in place to ensure this in the lead-up to the final.

“You're spot on – I think the excitement of playing in an ODI final is definitely going to be there,” said Mashimbyi.

“But we’ve got our processes that we follow as a team, and the best thing we can do is to make sure we’re consistent and disciplined within those processes.

“Those processes are basically designed to keep us in the moment, most of the time. I know that if we can control the controllables, we give ourselves the best chance to win the match.”

Harmanpreet Kaur and Laura Wolvaardt during the toss in Visakhapatnam. Photo: Cricinfo

Mashimbyi added that going into the unknown of a World Cup final in India will definitely bring nerves, but said it’s something they need to embrace as a team, as it shows how much they care and how badly they want to win.

“You know, nerves are something that’s innate in us as human beings,” Mashimbyi added.

“But what we need to do is understand that nerves are our ally, not our enemy.

Nadine de Klerk scored 84* against India in Visakhapatnam. Photo: Cricinfo

“It’s important that you get the nerves because it shows that you care. But it’s also about embracing them and using that energy for good.

“Use that energy to lift you, to help you perform at your best, rather than letting it cut your legs off.”

Sunday’s historic final between India and South Africa gets underway at 11:30.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek mvh