Dravid: 'We're confident that Sachin will get it right'

Rahul Dravid felt that the dew factor could play a vital role in the game tomorrow but quickly added that the better side will invariably win, irrespective of the conditions. He, along with Greg Chappell spoke to the press on the eve of the game

Rahul Dravid

On the pitch

It looks a good wicket. Too much was made of the pitch at Kolkata and I thought we didn't bat well enough. Hopefully we will bounce back here but we have to take into account the dew factor that will play a role later on.

On the Kolkata crowd

Luckily I was not fielding on the boundary line like others who had to put up with the abuses. I told the others jokingly that we are in good company, in the company of the great Sunil Gavaskar who too had to face a similar reception in Kolkata along with the 1983 World Cup winning team. If that side could get booed, I think we're doing something right.

On the form of his batsmen and pressure ahead of the game

We'd like to get off to good starts. Sachin [Tendulkar] has been looking really good at the nets and tomorrow he will be playing in front of his home crowd. We're confident that he will get it right soon. There's always pressure going into any game. South Africa have never won a series in India and there is pressure on them too. Both teams will be facing similar pressures.

About the lop-sided nature of the games and the dew factor

The last three games have been one-sided contests with the side that's bowling first dominating the game. The initiative has been taken away early and it's been tough for the other team to come back. Maybe the dew factor has to be looked into and assessed. Converting day-night games into day games could be an option in the long-run.

On the overall performance of the team since the start of the Sri Lanka series

We began the series against Sri Lanka on a very low ebb but the journey over the last few weeks has been great. It will surely be a period where we learnt how to become a better team. We need one big last effort tomorrow to level this series, but even if we don't manage it we have done well. We played some tough cricket and I've been very happy with the spirit and atmosphere in the side.

Greg Chappell

On whether they will continue to experiment

We will keep trying different things in different games. Sometimes they will look normal, at other times may look out of the ordinary. It's a long journey to the 2007 World Cup and we would continue to do what needs to be done irrespective of what others think.

On the benefits of playing a strong team like South Africa

It's a very good thing that we have been challenged by a team like South Africa who play very good cricket. It's a great challenge and a big learning experience for all of us. The benefits of this series would be seen in a few months or within the year. They are a good team and have come here on the back of a 20-match winning streak. We have come off a poor run in Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. It's not much use playing against weak teams and feeling content about winning.

On Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag

I am very happy over Tendulkar's comeback from injury. He has coped well with the work load. He's been playing for 17 years and still has the same enthusiasm and the keenness to improve. He's got great work ethics. Sehwag has had one good game like most others too. It will be helpful to him in the long run to bat in the middle order too. His batting has improved enormously, but we have not seen the best of Virender Sehwag yet, not by a long mile. He's still in the development process. He's ready to reach another new level, a higher one as batsman.