After having the T20I and ODI series in the pocket, the South African team is now gearing up for the Test series in India. And the visitors are not expecting the Indians to give them any leeway once the biggest challenge begins.
Faf du Plessis spoke for his entire team when he said the Proteas are preparing themselves to deal with the out-and-out aggressive approach from Team India. "We are expecting the ball to spin on day one, you expect it and then you plan for it,” he said. “In India I think it is a lot more aggressive now than it used to be in the past where the pitches probably spin on day three, four and five but they start doing that on day one now.
"So that means the Test matches won't last long. But for us if it lasts only three days, we will have our plans to try and be attacking, to make sure to wait for opportunity and put momentum in our favour,"
Knowing that spin will be the king in the Tests, du Plessis said his team’s biggest challenge will be to counter R Ashwin. The ace India off-spinner is in prime form and will be hungry and fresh after a short break he had to take due to a side strain injury.
"He is an outstanding spinner but I feel we played him well (in T20s). Now, it’s a case of Test cricket, but with the conditions he will get a little more turn,” du Plessis said.
"Ashwin is our main threat, but we will plan really well. The way we play Ashwin in this series will definitely determine the success in this series."
The first Test is to be played in Mohali, where the pitch is traditionally conducive to the fast bowlers with a tinge of green and bounce to exploit. However, du Plessis reckons this time it will be quite different. "It looks quite dry. We are expecting big spin on day one," he said. “The way the wicket is looking at the moment, perhaps, it's worked."
While the South African batsman admitted to the challenges ahead, he was also confident his fellow batsmen would live up to them, given how well they fared in the limited overs leg of the series.
"Obviously playing India in India in Test cricket is probably the hardest challenge. What has helped us is that we have done really well so far this tour. We have played really good cricket.
"So, we've got lot of confidence, but we understand that Test cricket is still going to be the hardest challenge. We've practiced well, planned well and we are really hungry to play Test cricket," he said.
"Before this series I haven't played ODI series as well in India. So all I can do is reflect on batting in India. If you are batting in ODIs, you face similar challenges."
For the Proteas, du Plessis said Morne Morkel will play a major role in the series. "Morkel is an extremely hard trainer. He is probably the most professional when it comes to doing everything that should be done. He is extremely meticulous about all small things about bowling, rhythms and I can appreciate because I am a batsman who likes the technical side of things. He is a great bowler for us and I think he can be handful for us in these conditions," du Plessis said.
