'We've got confidence in our opening pair' - Dravid
Having announced the 12 for the game, Rahul Dravid spoke at length on keeping faith in the opening combination and the decision to send Irfan Pathan back home
Dileep Premachandran in Durban
25-Dec-2006
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After the unexpected victory at the Wanderers, India head into this Durban
Test full of confidence, but Rahul Dravid was all too aware that there
could be no hint of complacency given South Africa's formidable record at
Kingsmead. Having announced the 12 for the game, he spoke at length on
keeping faith in the opening combination and the decision to send Irfan
Pathan back home.
"We're under no illusion that South Africa are going to come hard at us,"
he said, before India had one final tune-up in hot and humid conditions.
"Obviously they're very disappointed with what happened in Jo'burg. We've
just got to play good cricket like we've shown we can, fight really hard
and do the basics well. If we accomplish the targets that we've set
ourselves in batting, bowling, then it's going to be a good Test match. In
critical situations, we played some good cricket, whether it was with the
bat or the ball. There's no sense of complacency."
While South Africa arrived in Durban only on Saturday, the Indians played
an unscheduled tour game against a KwaZulu-Natal Invitation XI, with the
batsmen getting more time in the middle and Munaf Patel an opportunity to
prove his fitness ahead of the Test match. "It looks a good wicket," said
Dravid, after having scrutinised the dark-brown strip prepared at
Kingsmead. "It's got some small cracks. It'll be interesting to see how it
unfolds. A lot depends on the weather. If there's a lot of sunshine and
heat over the next few days, then it [the cracks] may become a factor on
the fourth and fifth day. But if it's like Jo'burg - drizzle and rain with
a lot of moisture in the air - then it might not be a factor."
Munaf's inclusion is a calculated gamble, given that his last
international outing was at this very ground more than a month ago. "He
pulled through well after the eight overs he bowled the day before
yesterday," said Dravid. "He came and practiced yesterday and bowled a few
overs. We'll take a decision tomorrow morning based on how he feels, how
confident he is, and whether he can last the course of the Test match."
The decision could also be influenced by what happened to Dale Steyn at
the Wanderers, with the recurrence of a quadriceps strain forcing him off
after just 10.1 overs.
With India having struggled to get half-decent starts on the tour, several
questions focussed on the retention of Wasim Jaffer, whose eight innings
on this tour have produced just 30 runs. "Wasim is a proven performer for
us," said Dravid, after Gautam Gambhir was left out of the 12. "Only three
or four matches back, he got a double-hundred for us in difficult
conditions in Antigua. He's not had the best of tours, but his recent Test
record is very good.
"He's got runs behind him in domestic cricket and we have to give him as
many opportunities as we can. He's working really hard in the nets, and
seems pretty keen and focused. I think this will probably be the match
which will turn it around, turn his series around. I won't give up on
Wasim that quickly."
Asked what factors had been considered while picking the 12, Dravid said:
"We have a lot of faith and confidence in Wasim and Viru [Sehwag], and we
hope that they'll give us the sort of starts that we know they can.
Getting off to a good start in the first 25 or 30 overs against this
Kookaburra ball is quite critical. If we can get through that period with
minimum damage, then we have the kind of middle order that can really put
pressure."
Like Jaffer, Sehwag too has found runs hard to come by on the tour, and
his Test record over the past year hasn't been anything like as imposing
as it was earlier. Dravid, though, was certain that he too would come good
when it mattered most. "Viru did well in the West Indies, especially in
one or two innings. He made a difference to the series, and has a proven
Test record.
"You obviously hope that he can get more runs because he makes a big
difference to the game if he scores, in terms of the impact he has at the
top of the order. He hasn't done as badly in Test cricket as people make
out or believe. We've got confidence in our opening pair. They did a good
job for us in the West Indies. You also have to consider that the
conditions weren't exactly conducive to batting in the last game. Their
openers struggled as well."
Graeme Smith, going through such a wretched run of late, certainly won't
dispute that.
Dileep Premachandran is features editor of Cricinfo