http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 - SA Coach Corrie Van Zyl
The coach of South African team Corrie Van Zyl has warned the touring Indian team that they should not expect any favours from his team as they lock horns for a mouth watering three Test match series.
The Indians, who are now ranked number one Test team according to the ICC rankings, have a less than impressive record in South Africa. They have won just one out of 12 Tests that they have featured in there and Van Zyl believes that despite their recent
success in home conditions, Indians would struggle against the pace and bounce that the tracks are set to offer in the three match series.
Van Zyl opined that the experience of playing the Champions League or the Indian Premier League doesn’t count for much in Test cricket as the wickets are totally different to the ones used for the instant format of the game.
"When you play here as an IPL team or in the Champions League, you play on wickets that are a lot slower and flatter," Van Zyl said at a press conference in Johannesburg. "They might feel a lot more comfortable touring because of those experiences, but in
terms of the conditions such as the pace and the bounce, I don't think they would have an advantage. It's not easy to get used to South African conditions if you haven't been playing in them for a while."
Meanwhile, Van Zyl made a light hearted remark when he was asked about the importance of Gary Kirsten’s role as India’s coach. Kirsten was one of the most prolific openers of his time and served the South Africans with distinction for over a decade.
"He's not playing, is he," Van Zyl joked about Kirsten's involvement, however he is aware of the star quality in the Indian ranks especially their batting which makes them the most feared team in international cricket at the moment. "It's
an excellent Indian team. If you are talking about a good team then you can't single out individuals, they are not No. 1 because of an individual, they are number one because they are a very good unit and I think if we look at one or two individuals then we
are going to miss the boat."
On the other hand, many cricket pundits feel that if the Indians fail to topple the South Africans in the series then their number one ranking would not be justified.
For the time being that is the last thing on Van Zyl’s mind, he first wants to get there and then join the rankings debate.
"It's not really for me to say if the ranking would be right or wrong," he said. "I would just like to see us beat them in this Test series, and then we can see about that."
The first Test match of the three match series starts on the 16th of this month at Centurion, the curator there has already indicated that a fast and bouncy track with a tinge of green is being prepared for the game.
The Indian batsmen have been devising strategies to counter the pace and bounce besides the lateral movement that is going to make batting a tough proposition for them. Another factor that might go against them is the quality of the home
pace attack led by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Morne-Morkel-c77722.
The two opening bowlers complement each other remarkably well; Steyn is the quicker of the two and can swing the ball both ways at an alarming pace. Morkel the taller of the two can extract steep bounce from a good length.
Their battle with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Virender-Sehwag-c95429 is set to be a pulsating one and cricket fans around the world are eager for the start of the humdinger.
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