- Joined
- Oct 2, 2004
- Runs
- 217,863
Cheteshwar Pujara said India’s bowling unit was confident and well prepared for their challenging tour of South Africa.
The Indian pace attack, comprising Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah, is bolstered by Hardik Pandya, the allrounder, and backed by the spin duo of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, making it one of the most balanced to have toured the African nation.
Pujara reckoned India’s fast bowlers are a lot quicker than the ones who toured South Africa in the past. “Our fast bowling is much better this time,” Pujara told reporters on Tuesday (January 2) ahead of the first Test in Cape Town. “They are quick, so I think we have that advantage this time.
“Our bowling coach has been talking to them. Good thing is that our fast bowlers have bowled well even in Indian conditions when there’s not so much help for them. I can mention the Australia series — our fast bowlers picked up so many wickets although the surface was flat. They’ll have a lot of assistance here, so obviously they’ll have their game plans. I can’t comment on what lines and lengths they’re preparing for. But overall, our bowling unit is very strong this time.”
India have won just two Tests in 17 attempts in South Africa since 1992, with their batsmen struggling with the pace, bounce and movement that South African pitches enable.
However, the current Indian side under Virat Kohli has been on a high, having remained unbeaten over a stretch of nine Test series — a record shared with Australia. According to Pujara, the nature of the surfaces was not a concern for the visitors.
“We are not bothered about the type of pitch that they prepare,” he said. “We’ll just try and focus on our own processes. We have a clear game plan whether it is a flat wicket or if there is some grass on it … we are prepared. We would just like to stay focused on the things that we want to achieve as a team.”
Among all Test nations he’s played against, Pujara averages the least against South Africa, at 39.46. But, this time, the team was both technically and mentally better equipped, thanks to their experience from previous tours in the country, he said.
“The good thing is most of our players have been here before. I’ve been here in 2010-11 and 2013-14, so it’s just about knowing your game, knowing the conditions and then applying yourselves.”
Having opted against a two-day warm-up game, the Indian team arranged two practice sessions on Saturday and experimented with different simulations, preparing the surface according to the conditions they desired. Keeping the South African conditions in mind, the team even had a pace-friendly strip in the first Test against Sri Lanka in November.
Pujara emphasised that India were not short of preparation, despite not having enough time between the two series.
“Our team is confident with the three net sessions we’ve had so far. Before we came here, when were playing Sri Lanka series, we spoke about how we want to go about this series. Obviously, we are here to win the series.
“There was some movement and bounce in Kolkata. It was still different from what we may get here, but we tried to replicate what we could. Even in other matches, and whenever we hit the nets, South Africa tour was on our mind.”
Should India win the three-Test series against South Africa, it will be their tenth on the trot — an all-time record. However, Pujara stressed how the team never chased records. “When you start winning, records come automatically. We have never spoken about records. We have that opportunity to be a great side, if we do well here, in England and Australia.
“We have that experience and [are] a team which can dominate overseas. If we do that, this will be one of the best Indian teams.”
https://www.wisdenindia.com/cricket-news/indias-bowlers-quicker-team-prepared-before-pujara/285252
The Indian pace attack, comprising Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah, is bolstered by Hardik Pandya, the allrounder, and backed by the spin duo of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, making it one of the most balanced to have toured the African nation.
Pujara reckoned India’s fast bowlers are a lot quicker than the ones who toured South Africa in the past. “Our fast bowling is much better this time,” Pujara told reporters on Tuesday (January 2) ahead of the first Test in Cape Town. “They are quick, so I think we have that advantage this time.
“Our bowling coach has been talking to them. Good thing is that our fast bowlers have bowled well even in Indian conditions when there’s not so much help for them. I can mention the Australia series — our fast bowlers picked up so many wickets although the surface was flat. They’ll have a lot of assistance here, so obviously they’ll have their game plans. I can’t comment on what lines and lengths they’re preparing for. But overall, our bowling unit is very strong this time.”
India have won just two Tests in 17 attempts in South Africa since 1992, with their batsmen struggling with the pace, bounce and movement that South African pitches enable.
However, the current Indian side under Virat Kohli has been on a high, having remained unbeaten over a stretch of nine Test series — a record shared with Australia. According to Pujara, the nature of the surfaces was not a concern for the visitors.
“We are not bothered about the type of pitch that they prepare,” he said. “We’ll just try and focus on our own processes. We have a clear game plan whether it is a flat wicket or if there is some grass on it … we are prepared. We would just like to stay focused on the things that we want to achieve as a team.”
Among all Test nations he’s played against, Pujara averages the least against South Africa, at 39.46. But, this time, the team was both technically and mentally better equipped, thanks to their experience from previous tours in the country, he said.
“The good thing is most of our players have been here before. I’ve been here in 2010-11 and 2013-14, so it’s just about knowing your game, knowing the conditions and then applying yourselves.”
Having opted against a two-day warm-up game, the Indian team arranged two practice sessions on Saturday and experimented with different simulations, preparing the surface according to the conditions they desired. Keeping the South African conditions in mind, the team even had a pace-friendly strip in the first Test against Sri Lanka in November.
Pujara emphasised that India were not short of preparation, despite not having enough time between the two series.
“Our team is confident with the three net sessions we’ve had so far. Before we came here, when were playing Sri Lanka series, we spoke about how we want to go about this series. Obviously, we are here to win the series.
“There was some movement and bounce in Kolkata. It was still different from what we may get here, but we tried to replicate what we could. Even in other matches, and whenever we hit the nets, South Africa tour was on our mind.”
Should India win the three-Test series against South Africa, it will be their tenth on the trot — an all-time record. However, Pujara stressed how the team never chased records. “When you start winning, records come automatically. We have never spoken about records. We have that opportunity to be a great side, if we do well here, in England and Australia.
“We have that experience and [are] a team which can dominate overseas. If we do that, this will be one of the best Indian teams.”
https://www.wisdenindia.com/cricket-news/indias-bowlers-quicker-team-prepared-before-pujara/285252
