South Africa’s captain Aiden Markram, right, and Kagiso Rabada. (AP Photo)

NEW DELHI: Nineteen months ago, Aiden Markram appeared dazed on the boundary ropes as India celebrated their second T20 World title in Bridgetown, Barbados. The South African captain later admitted he was ‘gutted’ that his side couldn’t get over the finish line despite appearing to be in control of their chase of 177 in the final.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Cut to Lord’s, June 2025. Playing under Temba Bavuma, Markram was beaming from ear to ear and even found time to enjoy a glass of beer near the boundary fence with an old friend after guiding South Africa to their maiden world title with a scintillating 136 against Australia in the World Test Championship final.

Having led the South African side to a World Cup title in the U-19 World Cup in 2014, the 31-year-old has faced success and disappointments in equal measure in his eight-year international career.Having assumed the full-time captaincy responsibilities of the SA T20 side in 2023, Markram appears calmer and more composed. But beyond the ice-cool demeanour lies a fierce competitor who commands the respect of the entire unit.“Aiden has been fantastic both with bat in hand and as a leader. But you’re only as good as your troops and he would be the first one to admit that. So, it’s easy to captain a bowling unit that’s on top of their game and batters that are firing. But Aiden, yeah, he’s been at the forefront of everything we do,” South African head coach Shukri Conrad said.SA batting coach Ashwell Prince indicated that the skipper often acted as the bridge between the players and the support staff. “When he steps on to the field, he has a clear idea about all the discussions that we’ve had and the different possibilities that could arise during the match. In terms of his leadership, he’s got great communication with these bowlers out there in the middle, with the coaching staff. We tend to just trust him with all the ideas and information,” Prince said.“I’ve always been of the opinion that opening is his best position. The phrase that my kids would use is he’s really ‘locked-in’ at the moment in terms of his focus,” Prince added.