“She is calm under pressure, knows where to hit the ball”: Claire Terblanche on Kayla Reyneke; Calls India Series a Big Test
A crucial five-match T20I series between India Women and South Africa Women is all set to begin on April 17 in South Africa. The series is going to be a great opportunity for both sides as a part of their preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup in June-July in England.
However, some significant names are missing from both squads, but from the Proteas Women’s perspective, eyes will be on the 20-year-old young sensation, Kayla Reyneke. The way this young all-rounder has begun her international career, it’s been a dream one. Her T20I debut against Pakistan – won the game by hitting a six off the last ball when they needed two runs. Then, her epic ODI debut against New Zealand – won the game again by hitting a six off the last ball when they needed six to win the game.
That’s the composure and calmness a 20-year-old has already shown in her nine-game international career, and that speaks volumes about her character and the belief in herself. So, to talk about that, RevSportz had an exclusive chat with Claire Terblanche – a former Proteas Women cricketer (27 international games across all three formats, 2003-2009).
Now, she is a renowned CSA (Cricket South Africa) Level 3 coach, currently working with the senior team. She has done wonders as the Western Province Women’s team head coach, as their success in the domestic circuit in recent years is proof, and she is also someone who has very closely worked with Reyneke from a very young age and observed her growth — the journey from playing for Western Province to now delivering at the highest level.
Claire opened up on Reyneke’s journey, her preparations, mindset, along with the upcoming challenge against India in the series.
Can you share your thoughts on Reyneke? Your first impression…
She has had a really good journey so far from childhood. She actually did athletics first. She was into javelin and then she found cricket when she was in junior school. She played cricket with the boys. Her junior school teacher actually gave her the first chance to play cricket with the boys. Thank goodness for him that he introduced her to cricket.
And then from there, I met her at club cricket and then we just started our journey together from there. She was 11 years old when I met her for the first time. And just growing up, she’s just shown such character. And I think she’s doing so well because she’s got such good character. She’s a wonderful human being.
She seems to have a remarkable composure for a 20-year-old. Has she always had this kind of mentality and ability to deliver under pressure?
I think it’s how she grew up as well. She didn’t have an easy upbringing. So, when she’s under pressure, she draws on that as well. And yes, in cricket, she’s brought it into her cricket. We’ve chatted around it as she journeys through her batting career and playing career.
And I just think having that hand in hand, that she could learn those lessons through life and bring it onto the cricket field. So when she does get into those situations, she knows what to do. She’s just calm, she just breathes and she knows where she needs to hit the ball.
Can you describe the atmosphere in the dressing room during such moments, especially after that ODI finish?
It was her and Tumi (Sekhukhune) who were batting when that last-ball six happened, and Suzie Bates was bowling. Bates has been playing for a very long time, so the experience was there too. And I just think having that partnership there with Tumi and Kayla, Tumi did speak to Kayla out in the middle and they knew what they needed to do.
Tumi knew she had to get Kayla on strike and Kayla knew that she had to clear the boundary. So, they were very clear in how they needed to go about things. But it was very nervous on the side, but there was belief that we’ve seen it before and she has cleared it before, and we know she’s calm under pressure. So we knew that she had it and she produced it.
You were a similar kind of player yourself — an off-break bowler and a right-hand batter. Does that help you connect with her better? Do you, in some ways, see a bit of yourself in her?
Kayla is her own type of person. And we try to guide, as coaches and people that are in their lives, we try to guide them on who they are as cricketers.
But when it comes to that feisty nature, that person that’s calm under pressure, I do see a little bit of myself in Kayla, but not too much. She is her own person. But to see that coming through and how she’s just grown up like that has just been fantastic.
Is there any specific training or preparation that she undergoes, especially considering that finishing games is such a demanding role?
I think it boils down to her training. She’s very precise in her training and how she wants to go about her training sessions. So, on training days, she’ll do her thing. If she’s feeling that she needs to work on something a little bit more, she’ll stay for extras.
But on match day, she has a routine every match day. She’ll go into the nets, hit some balls, but it’s very much focusing on contact points, playing the ball late. And when she feels she’s happy, then she stops.
She doesn’t overtrain. I think that’s something that she’s got down to a T — that when she feels she’s hitting the ball nicely, she’s in good positions, technically correct, then she’s happy and she walks out of the net. So, she knows what she wants to do and what she wants it to feel like before she goes in.
How do you assess the team ahead of the series against India, who are relatively more experienced?
Facing the Indian team is always something that you need to be almost extra prepared for. So, you do go into a little bit more detail, if I can put it like that, because we know that the Indian team have a vast number of batters that you need to look into.
Their bowling line-up as well — seam and spin, especially with the spinners. And we know that spin will dominate in the T20 World Cup or even in T20s. And that is something that we, as an African team, know that we need to work on.
But facing this Indian team will really put us to the test. And I do also think that it will take India also knowing where they are moving into the World Cup. So, I think the competition now in this T20 series is going to be good for both countries.
You were part of the setup as an assistant coach during the 2025 ODI WC campaign. Does that final loss still hurt and can it serve as an added motivation against India this time?
I think it’s definitely external motivation from the World Cup final. And yes, you’re right, it still hurts. But it’s a lesson that we need to take forward.
So, it is in the past. So now it is in history. But it’s taking us into a new series. We’re preparing for a new World Cup. So, everything that we’ve done up to this point, we have tried a few things.
And moving into this series, we’re going to now see where we are at and what we’re needing to do for that bigger picture of the World Cup coming up. And I think this India series is going to be something that we really need to take into account and do well and see what still needs to be done for the World Cup, or if we are in the place where we should be coming into the World Cup.
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The post “She is calm under pressure, knows where to hit the ball”: Claire Terblanche on Kayla Reyneke; Calls India Series a Big Test appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.
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