Cape Town - Rassie van der Dussen may not have had the amount of game time he desired at the Indian Premier League, but he certainly did not sit around sulking for the two months spent in India.
Van der Dussen, who plays with England captain Jos Buttler at the Rajasthan Royals, poured his energies into his fitness regime to prepare for the international season with the Proteas.
Erasmus was often seen post matches doing intensive drills in the searing subcontinent heat while also hitting the crossfit sessions hard in the gym with his personal trainer.
After a belated start to his international career, the 33-year-old takes immense pride in his physical preparation. It is arguably the secret behind his success, particularly in the ODI arena, where Van der Dussen now boasts the world’s highest-ever average of 74.95.
It certainly came to the fore during his career-best 134 on Tuesday which powered the Proteas to a 62-run victory over world champions England in the series-opener at Chester-le-Street on Tuesday.
With the conditions unusually hot and humid in the north-east of England, Van der Dussen ran Buttler’s team ragged during his 117-ball stay at the crease.
It was an ODI masterclass in terms of manipulating a vast outfield on a slowish deck. Van der Dussen did not hit a single six during his innings, but still managed a strike-rate of 114.52 due to maintaining a high intensity when running between the wickets.
"It's definitely a special innings," said Van der Dussen, who rose to third on the ICC Men’s ODI rankings batters list on Wednesday. “I think I played pretty well. I don't think I made too many mistakes and I think it was one of those days where the ball went into the gaps.
“If you’re a professional sportsperson, there’s not a lot of physical activity that you do that’s not calculated. The gym, and the conditioning sessions, are always planned with in mind that it's for a bigger purpose. A part of a jigsaw puzzle.”
There is much more to Van der Dussen than just his physical prowess though. After spending over a decade learning his trade in contrasting places such as Potchefstroom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Canada and the Caribbean, Van der Dussen has accumulated vast knowledge of various pitch conditions.
It is this experience that often comes to the fore with his ability to assess the surface within moments of coming to the crease that often separates him from his peers.
In conjunction with his near-perfect utilisation of the reverse-sweep to disrupt the spinners’ rhythm in particular, it has has proven to be a fool proof method of success.
"When I go in, I try to read the situation of the game and plan my innings accordingly," he said. "I try to adapt and have the options and shots to try and put bowlers under pressure regardless of the situation.
"There wasn't a lot of bounce in the wicket so I knew if they went short, you can try and negate that but you've got to play straight. That was the general game plan."
Van der Dussen knows the Durham victory is "only one match of a long tour" and "that there is a lot of cricket still to be played", but the excitement will certainly build within the Proteas camp now that they are just a game away from winning their maiden white-ball series on English soil in Manchester on Friday.
"It's obviously a massive result for us, but in saying that, it's only one match of a long tour," he said. "Recovery is going to be important now for the guys that were in the field. We have a game in the next few days. The physical work has been put in, and now it's all about resetting on Friday.”
@ZaahierAdams