IND vs SA 1st Test: KL Rahul relishes South Africa challenge – India vice-captain KL Rahul knows all too well the unique challenges batting in South Africa brings. The last time he was in South Africa, he lost his place in the team. But this time, it is different. He has built up with his excellent show in England and is now the vice-captain of the team. He believes the first Test Pretoria on Sunday will hold the key and a win will help the team to get off to a solid start. Follow India vs South Africa Live Updates on InsideSport.IN.
India have never won a Test series in South Africa, but after recent successes in Australia and England are buoyed by their ability to compete on the road. Rahul concedes South Africa present an altogether different trial though, especially for the batsmen but believes India are ready.
IND vs SA 1st Test: No warm-up games but KL Rahul ready for unique South Africa challenge
“The pace and bounce in the pitches here is very different to every other country. That is why it was important we came here earlier to try to adjust to the conditions,” KL Rahul said in a virtual press conference on Friday.
With no warm-up matches, Team India had to rely on practice on the centre wicket and relentless drills to ace South Africa test. While it is not ideal for India, KL Rahul is happy with the training they have had in Centurion.
“We’ve had a lot of sessions in the middle to create match situations and practised with a lot of intensity. It has been a great week of preparation. The pitches can be challenging because of the ‘tennis ball’ bounce. When we played in Australia they are fast and bouncy, but here it can be a bit spongy in the first few days and then it starts to quicken up. South Africa is an exciting place to play cricket and comes as a challenge for both batters and bowlers,” KL Rahul explained.
IND vs SA 1st Test: No warm-up games but KL Rahul ready for unique South Africa challenge
India did not have an opening stand of more than 30 in their last series in South Africa in 2018, where Rahul averaged only 7.50 in his four innings with a top score of 16.
“You need to be a lot more focussed and disciplined in your mind here, and be a lot more patient and wait to score your runs,” Rahul said.
The prospect of making history as the first Indian touring side to win a series in South Africa is a tantalising one for the players.
“It is a huge series for us as a team,” Rahul added. “We have won in England and Australia, but we have not won a series here and that gives us extra motivation. We need to learn from mistakes in the last tour and do better this time.”
IND vs SA 1st Test: No warm-up games but KL Rahul ready for unique South Africa challenge
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