Former South Africa cricketer Faf du Plessis believes that it will be highly important for the team to start off the series against India on a high. He highlighted that it is not easy for any team to defeat the Men in Blue on their home turf and remarked that the batters will need to get early runs in order to build confidence.
“Look, it’s a tough place to come and play cricket. I think Graeme (Smith) touched on it earlier. Your best chance at success here (in India) is when you start the series well," du Plessis said at a SA20 event held in Mumbai.
“As a batting unit, you need to get some runs early to build confidence. You almost have to block out the conditions mentally. Once you’ve got runs under your belt, everything feels easier," he added.
Du Plessis on the opening match's importance
He further went on to say that there will be no way back for the team if they start poorly and go on to lose the first Test that will be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata from November 14. Du Plessis feels that the series opener will act like a make or break for the Proteas and their performance in the match will determine if they will be able pose a threat for India or not.
“If you start under pressure, get low scores, and lose the first Test, then the feeling that it’s going to be a hard tour just sets in. That first Test will be a big stepping stone. It’ll decide whether we do well or struggle," du Plessis stated.
India and SA on WTC standings
Meanwhile, India currently sit third on the World Test Championship (WTC) standings with a PCT of 61.90. They had made significant gains on the points table with their 2-0 series whitewash at home against West Indies. On the other hand, reigning WTC champions South Africa started the new cycle on an average note and drew their two-match series against Pakistan by 1-1. They currently sit fourth on the standings with a PCT of 50.00.
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India's squad for South Africa Tests: Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (WK) (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep.
South Africa's squad for India Tests: Temba Bavuma (C), Aiden Markram (VC), Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Ryan Rickelton (WK), Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne (WK), Zubayr Hamza, Corbin Bosch, Marco Jansen, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Simon Harmer, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj.
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