Netflix and chill ...
Or just hang out with his dad Koos, who trained both him and his twin brother Duan since they were little, back in Potchefstroom.
That’s Marco Jansen’s simple method of coping with the stress of playing in his first World Cup.
“If you know me, and the players here know me quite well, they know that Marco likes to think. I do think a lot,” the Proteas all-rounder told reporters yesterday.
“I become very jittery and nervous, and that could affect the way I play.
“So, my old man is here (in India), and I’ll spend a bit of time with him because he knows how to calm me down.
“Be in my room, and try not to do too much, because if I do a lot, then I start thinking and my mind goes all over the place.
“So, whether I watch Netflix or a sermon, it doesn’t really matter – as long as I do something that helps me to calm down and relax.”
It is a formula that is certainly working for the 2.06-metre tall left-hander, with Jansen contributing gallantly with the bat – 143 runs at an average of 47.66 – but crucially also excelling in his primary bowling role with 16 wickets at 20.06.
These are incredible numbers for a young man who is only 154 days older than fellow young tearaway Gerald Coetzee.
The comparison between the two is inevitable, particularly as fast bowlers fall into two broad categories.
There are those who let their trade speak for itself – dismiss a batter, acknowledge the applause of teammates and walk back to their mark and get on with it.
The legendary West Indian fast-bowling quartet belonged to this Whatsapp group.
Then there are those who deem it necessary to burst an artery after every wicket. Brett Lee and Dale Steyn were prime examples of this.
Coetzee is firmly among the passionate second group, but of late, his normally calm teammate Jansen is beginning to show greater emotion.
It is possibly because he’s finding himself at the centre of a few scraps, most notably with Pakistan’s Mohammed Rizwan at this World Cup, and famously with India’s Jasprit Bumrah in his debut Test series last year.
With a Bumrah rematch on the horizon (10.30am SA time start) at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens coliseum – which is set to be filled with close to 100 000 partisan home supporters – Jansen will need to channel his energies in the right direction should the red mist descend.
“Normally, I am quite chilled with my celebrations, but the last few games, it just came out when I took a wicket. It’s not something I planned,” Jansen said.
“I find myself when I am in the ‘scrap’... It actually gets the best out of me, and then you get too emotional and you don’t make good decisions.
“So, whenever that happens, I try to remind myself, ‘What do I need to do? What is the plan here? What is the best ball to bowl?’
“I definitely don’t go out looking for it. It just happens.”
Although Jansen’s dad Koos is on standby to keep his son calm and collected, there is another father-like figure in Eric Simons, who has played a big role in his success achieved thus far at the World Cup.
Simons, 61, is a meticulous planner and has vast experience – having coached the Proteas before at a World Cup – and is also extremely knowledgeable about Indian conditions, due to his long-term involvement with the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League.
Jansen certainly leans on Simons to guide him through his preparations.
“Eric has helped us bowlers a lot in terms of accuracy and being specific to what we want to do whenever we want to bowl,” he said.
“Each bowler knows what their plans are, and if it’s with the new ball, just try to swing it as much as I can. If it doesn’t swing, then adapt accordingly.
“It’s also about having an aggressive mindset with the new ball.
“Batters have just come to the wicket, so if you put the ball in the right areas, then you have a very good chance of getting a guy out.
“It’s about having a wicket-taking mindset and backing up your skills.”
IOL Sport