Dec. 23: South Africa skipper Graeme Smith said on Thursday that he was “more than ready” to take on India in the Boxing Day Test, who he reckoned would fight back hard after the crushing defeat at Centurion.
“After what happened in the first Test I expect them to be better, especially from a batting perspective, as they will know what to expect,” Smith said before the match starting on Sunday.
The Proteas cruised to victory by an innings and 25 runs in the first of the three-match Test series after India crumbled to 136 all out on Day One.
“India are an experienced team and I expect them to come out fighting in the next Test and I expect them to use their experience to bounce back. We can’t afford to take anything for granted in terms of how we expect them to go,” he added.
While Smith expects the number-one ranked Test team in the world to present a stiffer challenge at Kingsmead, he said his own charges would draw a lot of heart from how they had performed in the first Test.
“When you win by an innings and 25 runs you do take a lot of positives out of the game and a lot of confidence. From our perspective we have taken a few big steps forward in the series and India have probably got a few doubts,” he said.
Smith said destructive Indian opener Virender Sehwag could pose a major threat to the South Africans, and they would need to keep him in check. “It’s important for us that he stays silent — he’s such an aggressive batsman that once he gets going, India more often than not do well.
“But we executed our plan perfectly in the last Test, and we’ll look to do the same. I don’t see why we cannot,” he said.