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South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad is confident of spin trio of Keshav Maharaj, Senuran Muthusamy and Simon Harmer scripting history at Eden Gardens, Kolkata in the first Test of the series against India. As South Africa haven't won a single Test on Indian soil in 15 years, he likened the Test series to World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final against Australia.
"Having good spinners in your team, does that add spice to the overall contest? Yes, I think it gives us a lot of confidence," Conrad said during a press conference on November 12.
"Not saying that we didn't have good spinners in the past, but we certainly think we've got a better pack of spinners now in Keshav, Simon and Sen.
"It gives us a lot of confidence that if the conditions are (conducive) we feel that we've got the armoury to obviously challenge India in that respect as well," he added.
"We're quietly confident that we can make history of our own here in Eden Gardens and in India."
‘Biggest challenge’ for South Africa
Conrad is aware of the challenge India pose in home conditions. They were formidable at home until New Zealand scripted history with a 3-0 cleansweep last year. He labelled it as the biggest challenge for the Proteas side.
"Yes, we had the final against Australia that we won which was massive. I compare this series, and this match, to that final,” the 58-year-old said.
"Look India, tough challenge anyway in the world and when you come to an iconic venue like Eden Gardens, it just makes it even tougher.
"I don't think you can compare the quality of the sides we played against (Pakistan) to India and this will be our biggest challenge. Certainly in my 20th match, I don't think there's been a bigger challenge (than this)."
South Africa’s Test record at Eden Gardens
South Africa have played three Tests at the venue so far and registered one victory. Their last Test win in Kolkata came in 1996. South Africa beat India by a comprehensive margin of 329 runs. Their last appearance at Eden Gardens in whites was in 2010. India beat the visitors by an innings and 57 runs.
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