The Indian team has landed in South Africa as just a week remains before Virat Kohli’s men take on South Africa on Boxing Day. Cheteshwar Pujara, who will be one of India's important asset, on the tour has underlined the role of bowlers as India try to win their first Test series in the Rainbow nation. The Indian team is scheduled to play a three-match Test series followed by three-match ODI series. Pujara thinks India stand a better chance of winning the series in the longest format if the bowlers do the job.
“Our fast bowlers have been the difference between the two sides whenever we have played abroad. If you look at the Australia series, even if you look at the England series, we have done exceptionally well as a bowling unit and I am sure that will be the case even in South Africa. Our fast bowlers are our strength and I hope that they will be able to utilise these conditions and give us 20 wickets in every Test match," Saurashtra batter said in an interview.
India come into the Test series on the back of a 1-0 win against New Zealand as they remain fresh from the triumph over the Kiwis. On contrary, South Africa haven’t played the red-ball format since June 2021, having last played against West Indies at Gros Islet. 33-year-old Pujara though doesn’t feel that India are at an advantage despite the recent success.
"The good thing is we played a couple of Test matches in India. So most of the guys are in touch, and when it comes to preparation, the support staff have been excellent. They have been supporting us well and we have five or six days more before we head into the first Test. I am sure there is enough time for us to prepare and guys are looking forward to this series. This is the best opportunity for us to win our first series in South Africa. So all of us are looking forward to it,” Pujara added.
The series will be played under strict Covid-19 guidelines as Cricket South Africa (CSA) has implemented measures to avoid the contradiction of the Omicron variant. The Test series is due to start on Boxing Day (December 26) as India will take guards under Virat Kohli while vice-captain Rohit Sharma stays away from the squad due to injury, KL Rahul will act as deputy skipper.
