The IND vs SA Test series will surely grab a lot of eyeballs. Having never won a Test series in South Africa, India will be desperate to make this opportunity count. South African cricketer Faf Du Plessis has laid down the markers for Indian batters to be successful on bouncy South African pitches.
Indian batters have historically struggled in fast, bouncy pitches, be it in Australia or South Africa. The Indian pitches are more spin-friendly, and does not generate enough bounce, making many batters uncomfortable on rapidly rising balls.
Du Plessis on Sunday was asked about what the Indian batters might struggle the most against in the IND vs SA Test series.
“It is the bounce,” Du Plessis told The Indian Express. “There is almost one full hand of extra bounce here, compared to what they usually face in India. They are used to hitting the ball on the up there. But with the bounce on offer and lateral movement, there is additional risk at play if you haven’t done it before and are not used to the lift. The key to doing well in South Africa is to leave well and be there for a long period.”
“Generally on Day 1, there’s a bit of grass on the wicket, it’s a bit slow. So it seams around a little bit. Then day two and three are really good batting surfaces. But then again, it speeds up really quickly, and the cracks on the pitch start to get bigger with the bit of heat in the pitch. And then towards the end of day four and day five, there will be up and down bounce. So if you bat well in the first innings, it is always difficult to lose a Test in Centurion. But if you fail with the bat in the first innings, you are in for a long battle,” Du Plessis explained.
India and South Africa both has some fiery bowlers up their sleeves. It will be a case of which batting unit can handle the pressure better, opined Du Plessis.
Runs will be gold. When you have runs on the board, you will invariably have a good chance of winning. India obviously have a lot more experience than South Africa and they are a dangerous Test side. If they manage some runs, the bowlers can work around it,” Du Plessis said.
Editor's Pick
Cricket
Shubman Gill likely to miss India vs Australia 2nd Test due to finger injury
Top Stories
