South Africa’s head coach, Shukri Conrad, spoke to the media ahead of the first Test against India, which starts on 14 November. Following a 1-1 drawn series in Pakistan, the Proteas are looking to build momentum and adapt to challenging Indian conditions.
Conrad reflected on the difficulty of playing in India, the team’s preparations, and the exciting battles fans can expect in the series.
When asked to compare India’s spin challenge to that of Pakistan, Conrad highlighted the magnitude of the task.
“Look, India is a tough challenge anywhere 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 to India.
“This will be our biggest challenge, certainly in my 20th match. I don’t think there’s been a bigger challenge. Yes, we had the final against Australia that we won, which was massive. I compare this series and this match to that final. That’s how big it is for us.”
He was asked whether having a strong spin attack in the squad adds to the overall contest.
“Yes, I think it gives us a lot of confidence. Previously, and this is 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.
“So I think it gives us a lot of confidence that if the conditions are what the gentleman in the previous question thinks it’s going to be, we feel that we’ve got the armoury to obviously challenge India in that respect as well.”
Conrad also reflected on the experience of his batsmen in India, particularly their IPL exposure.
“Yes, definitely. Previously, you come to India and not having experienced India before, you can be in awe, you can be taken aback by the occasion. But our guys are comfortable in the environment, they’re comfortable with the opposition because of their involvement in the IPL. I certainly believe that it does make it slightly easier for us to adapt to conditions.
“It’s not foreign to a lot of these guys and certainly the opposition aren’t foreign. So I’m expecting an evenly fought contest. We’re still going to be out of the dirty hole, but we’re quite confident that we can make history of our own here and even go on to win in India.”
Fast bowling will also play a key role, according to Conrad.
“Absolutely. Everybody talks about spin in India but on both sides they’ve got world-class fast bowlers. And again, if history is to be believed, there’s always something for the fast bowlers at Eden Gardens. I expect the fast bowlers on both sides to have an impact on the game, especially in the first couple of days, and for spin to come in slightly later.
“There’s so many battles within the Test match – Bumrah, Rabada, Jansen, Siraj, then the spinners and batting match-ups – it’s certainly a mouth-watering contest. If you’re a fan of cricket, I know what you’re going to be doing for the next couple of days. There are so many exciting battles to look forward to. And you’ve got to earn the right to get to the spin by taking care of the fast bowlers properly.”
On interacting with Indian cricket legend Sourav Ganguly, Conrad said the session was more about connection than tactical secrets.
“Obviously, an icon like Sourav, if he’s around, you want to glean whatever you can from the great man. I don’t think there was too much he was giving away with regards to the venue or anything. It was just a nice catch-up with some of the guys he’s going to work with in a month’s time.”
Conrad praised his captain, Temba Bavuma, for the impact he brings on and off the field.
“Yeah, Temba was massive for us, he’s our best player. Which makes winning a Test match in Pakistan so much better for us that we were able to do it without our best player. So a lot of feel-good, a lot of confidence. And if you take the last two years maybe, he’s been one of the best players in the world. His record speaks for itself. The calmness he brings to the batting unit, his leadership, his quiet demeanour – now we get a lot of feel-good from that, and he certainly brings a lot of confidence. And we’re thrilled that he got through the A-game as well as he did.”
Reflecting on winning the World Test Championship, Conrad highlighted the significance of his team’s cohesion.
“Winning that World Test Championship was massive for us. We’re a team without any superstars, maybe one, the obvious one in Rabada. But the ability of this unit to pull together a young, inexperienced team and deliver a performance like we did at Lords was massive for our cricket, but also for our country. It’s something we don’t speak about often, but anytime we can contribute to the feel-good factor in our country and for our cricket, we’re thrilled by it.
“This Test series here, we obviously drew in Pakistan. This series is massive if we want to be in the money at the end of the race – we’ve got England, Australia, Sri Lanka away next year, all tough series. But we’re not even looking at the World Test Championship; we’re looking at delivering a performance that can make history for us. I can’t remember when last we won a Test match here, or even a series, so that’s the biggest thing for us.”
Asked about the pitch in Kolkata, Conrad offered a measured view.
“Yeah, I think it’s a typical Kolkata wicket. I didn’t expect anything different. There will be something in it for the quick bowlers – it’s an early morning start. We practised yesterday afternoon, late afternoon, we found that the ball started swinging.
“So that might not be pitch-related, but certainly overhead-related. The question is always how early the match does it spin. It’s pretty much stock standard – we expect it to look like that. Nothing that will surprise us.”
Finally, Conrad shared his thoughts on the new-look Indian Test side without Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma.
“Indian Test cricket is always going to be strong, simply because of the healthy competition for spots in the team. As a young player, if you’ve made it to international level for India, you’ve had to work bloody hard.
“They’ve got a new bunch of superstars, new leaders. Shubman is a great leader – I saw that in the Test series against England. They’ve got fighters like Siraj, probably his performances don’t get the recognition they deserve. But yeah, they’ve got exciting cricketers who take the game on and are confident, but so do we. So we’re licking our lips for the contest.”
Proteas Test Squad vs India
Temba Bavuma (captain), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Zubayr Hamza, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne.
Fixtures (SAST)
14–18 November, 06:00 SAST – India vs South Africa, Eden Gardens, Kolkata
22–26 November, 06:00 SAST – India vs South Africa, ACA Stadium, Guwahati
