India’s tour of South Africa: Indian players confident of bouncing back in Test series
After a humiliating innings defeat in their opening Test against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750, the world’s top-ranked Test side, will take
on the Proteas in the second match of the three-Test series, which will begin on December 26 in Durban.
Indian captain http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mahendra-Singh-Dhoni-c73820 is confident that India will be back in the next two Test matches, but has urged his side to try to change its growing habit of losing opening Tests.
"That's one quality we have," Dhoni wryly told reporters. "We don't really do well in the first Test. It's not only in India but even overseas. However, if you look at the previous records, we have come back well
in the later stages.”
The 29-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman from Ranchi conceded that his side’s bowling plans for South African batsman did not work out well. The Indian attack could claim only four South Africa wickets at the Centurion,
while conceding a massive 620 runs. But Dhoni defended his pace trio of S. Sreesanth, Jaydev Unadkat and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ishant-Sharma-c64566.
“It was difficult because there was not much help from the wicket,” said Dhoni. “We don’t have bowlers with express pace. They don’t bowl in 140s so they have to be even more precise with their line and length.
We tried different fields. We tried to contain them but were unsuccessful for the better part of their innings.”
Meanwhile, batsman Yuvraj Singh – who is not part of the Indian Test side but will feature in the one-day and T20 leg of the tour – was also positive about India’s recovery in the next two Tests.
"India have lost the first Test but I am sure they will bounce back. We have been the number one Test team for the past two years," said the middle-order batsman, who has had a difficult 2010 season which has seen
him demoted from Grade A to B on the BCCI central contract.
But the left-hander believes this will be a tough tour for India.
"The wickets will be different,” said Singh of the pitches in South Africa. “So, we need to practice accordingly."
Tags: