Cupcakes can't capsize calm South Africans

Watch television in India and you are likely to see Rohit Sharma advertising a range of goods and services. On Sunday, the Narendra Modi Stadium is sure to heave with more than 100,000 spectators, almost all in India blue. Then there are those cupcakes.

How is Shukri Conrad keeping his players focused for their biggest match of the T20 World Cup so far—a Super Eights clash against India in the world's largest cricket stadium?

"It's been the easiest job thus far," Conrad said on Friday. "The guys have experience in World Cups and in the IPL. They know what playing in India is about. They have been brilliant. They get out, they play golf, they play padel. And when the time comes to do some graft, they do that. They're managing to balance everything well.

"So that's been the easy bit. We know everything's going to get ramped up now with the Super Eights, but I'm pretty confident we'll keep doing that and do it our kind of way."

On the coaching staff's approach: "We try and be as calm as we possibly can because the players feed off that energy. The group stage was the anxious bit for me, because tournament cricket almost has three parts to it. You've got to find a way to get out of the group stage, and we've done that. Now we've got India first up and then West Indies; some of the most entertaining players in the world. That excites me."

But not in a way that disrupts harmony: "The guys have been so calm in the way they've gone about things. We certainly haven't had the need to either hype things up or tone things down. The guys are clear in their plans. The practices have been structured. The guys know exactly what they want and how they want to prepare. We try and keep the mood light, but a false, artificial lightness doesn't count for much. So we keep it real more than anything else."

Asked if he had had any cupcakes lately, Conrad said: "I need to get off the cupcakes." This references the host broadcaster's ad, which depicted a South Africa supporter choking on a cupcake snatched from an India fan. The ad faced backlash and has since been removed from the broadcaster's social media.

Conrad, who saw the ad, described it as "quite hilarious" and said it would "add to what's going to be a special occasion on Sunday." However, he did not suggest it would motivate his players.

"We don't take it too seriously. If we're looking for motivation from the outside then we're not in the right frame of mind. We definitely don't need motivation from news articles or advertisements in India or anywhere else. We know what we have to do and how we're going to do it. We're experienced enough to turn off all the noise and get on with business as usual."

The mute button can be a beautiful thing. And the best way to hit it on Sunday would be to strike hard and early, with bat or ball, and keep doing so. The cupcakes would taste so much sweeter if that happens.