South Africa will be banking on their formidable fast bowling attack to dismantle India’s strong batting line-up but after nine successive Test series wins India are brimming with confidence – and a belief that they can thrive in any conditions. India have a poor record in South Africa, losing five out of six series with one drawn, and winning only two out of 17 Test matches against eight defeats and seven draws. Significantly, though, they have pushed South Africa hard on their two most recent tours, in 2010-11 and 2013-14, sharing the first series and narrowly losing the second. It’s the pitch we wanted: Du PlessisSouth African captain Du Plessis said on Thursday that the pitch for the first Test against India looked ideal for his team. It looked less green than it was when the South Africans assembled on Tuesday but there was still a good covering of grass.

Source: The Express Tribune January 04, 2018 16:07 UTC