South Africa aim to carry their good form into the final Test against top-ranked India starting on Sunday after taking a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
South Africa won the first Test by an innings and six runs, firing India out in under four days in Nagpur for a winning start to the high-profile series between the world’s top ranked teams.
“This is the one thing that we really want to tick off as a team you know, to win here in India,” South Africa captain Graeme Smith said after handing India their first Test defeat at home in almost two years.
Left-handed opener Smith sustained a knock on his little finger at training on Friday but an X-ray taken at the ground cleared him of tendon damage.
“At this stage it’s being treated as a sprained ligament. We anticipate him being fit to play his normal place in the side,” a team spokesperson said.
South Africa almost achieved a rare series victory in India on their previous visit two years ago when they won the second Test before India squared the series in Kanpur.
“It’s hard work to win here. You need to be really clinical in terms of the game plan,” Smith said.
South Africa will take back the number one ranking if they win the series. Their only Test series victory in India came in 2000.
Dale Steyn took a match haul of 10-108 to rout India in Nagpur after Hashim Alma made 253 not out and Jacques Kallis hit 173 to guide the tourists to an imposing first innings total of 558-6 declared.
Important absences
India’s batting suffered in the absence of the experienced Rahul Dravid, Vangipurappu Laxman and Yuvraj Singh due to injuries, despite Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar scoring centuries.
Number three batsman Dravid (jaw) and Yuvraj (wrist) were ruled out of the entire series. Laxman (finger) was declared fit on Thursday and his return is expected to bolster the middle-order as India hope to square the series to hold on to the number one ranking.
“We were outplayed by South Africa in all departments of the game,” captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said after India’s 14-match undefeated streak was snapped at Nagpur.
India included one-day specialist Suresh Raina and made two other changes to the squad for the second Test in a move to strengthen their batting.
The tourists expect the pitch at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens to assist spin, India’s traditional strength.
South Africa were beaten in three days in Kanpur in the deciding Test in 2008 on a pitch that subsequently came up for an official inquiry by the International Cricket Council. – Reuters