Ryan Rickelton has explained the “different challenges” that batting at No 3 for the Proteas provides as he continues his impressive start to the T20 World Cup.

The left-hander has slotted in one position down from his usual opening role, responding with 33 off 21 balls against Canada and a fluent 61 off 28 deliveries against Afghanistan as South Africa opened their campaign with back-to-back wins.

With Quinton de Kock back at the top alongside captain Aiden Markram, Rickelton has had to adapt quickly to a new entry point in the innings.

“Batting at three has a few different challenges. I suppose your entry points are always the most conflicting ones,” Rickelton told SportsBoom.co.za.

“Just trying to wrap your head around the situation of the game, the conditions and what the team needs from you. Just trying to be a bit more flexible in my mentality and looking to be aggressive, try to contribute and have a good start.

“Read the game, play it how it comes. It’s been a big eye-opening experience, trying to adjust your game based on your entry point.”

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Rickelton believes the composure he has shown stems partly from his experience at the 2024 T20 World Cup, where he did not play but travelled with the squad and witnessed their run to a maiden final.

“Not playing in 2024, I was just excited to go to the World Cup in all honesty. To experience first-hand the level of the cricket that was being played and the intensity it was being played at as well was quite an eye-opener for me,” he said.

“I think that’s the big thing in this World Cup, getting your intensity high, extremely high, as it does ramp up as the tournament goes on, and look to remain calm in those crunch moments and in those pressure moments because they do come in World Cup cricket.

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“Just watching the guys how they went about it in America [2024] gave me a strong sense of what it is and what it is about. I try to shape my game into fitting those intense moments, into those high-pressure decision-making processes as well, and keep it simple and give myself the best chance of implementing it.”