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South Africa v India, 3rd Test, Cape Town
'We've dominated the Indians through the summer' - Smith
Dileep Premachandran at Newlands
January 1, 2007
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Smith: 'Mentally and emotionally, we've got to pick ourselves up and make sure we're ready for the Test'
© Getty Images
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Two days on from an ultimately emphatic victory in Durban, Graeme Smith was confident that his South African side held the edge going into the decisive third Test at Newlands. But while he cited the special atmosphere at the venue, Smith was slightly concerned about the moisture in the pitch, and the physical and emotional toll that the Durban exertions had taken on his players.
"It's a difficult pitch to read at the moment," he said when asked about a surface that had more than a hint of grass. "Because of the [recent] rain, there's some moisture. There will be a little bit in it on the first day and as the surface dries, it'll be a pretty good wicket."
Durban saw South Africa at their hungriest, battered by criticism after a 123-run defeat at the Wanderers. Even at Kingsmead, they had to dig deep to emerge victorious against an Indian side for whom Sreesanth once again picked up eight wickets in the game. "Mentally and emotionally, we've got to pick ourselves up and make sure we're ready for the Test," said Smith. "It was quite an emotional win in Durban after the week we had building up to the match. The guys are motivated, focussed, and we really want to win the series."
They will doubtless be boosted by the return of Jacques Kallis, who missed the Kingsmead game with a back injury, and Dale Steyn is also back in the fray after recovering from a quadriceps strain. But any joy over Kallis's return is tempered by the uncertainty over Andrč Nel, who didn't bowl at nets today after bruising a bone in his right foot.
One man who will definitely play is Paul Harris, with Smith expecting the pitch to take turn as the match wore on. And though he was a little wary of what Anil Kumble might do, Smith insisted that he and his side wanted to end the engagements against India as they had started in the one-day series. "We just had one bad game at the Wanderers," he said. "By and large, we've played better cricket. That confidence is there. But for Wanderers, we have dominated the Indians throughout the summer."
One of the Indians to suffer most has been Virender Sehwag, who has a highest score of 33 from four ODIs and two Tests. "All the areas we've attacked him have been successful," said Smith. "Obviously, he's very low on confidence; we haven't allowed him to get off to a start. The way we started against him, we have made the first ten balls count, haven't allowed him to find any rhythm upfront. Our channels to him, Sachin [Tendulkar] and others have been pretty good."
Smith, who has been through the wringer himself as a batsman in recent times, stopped short of writing off Sehwag though. "He's a guy who can take the game away from you," he said. "If he gets a hundred, he gets it in quick time and can put you under pressure. He's a big cog in the Indian team; he's had a huge run of success over the years. As a senior player, to keep him on the back foot is important."
But if the pitch plays anything like that on which Stuart Clark took 9 for
89 not so long ago, Sehwag won't be the only one on the back foot.
Dileep Premachandran is features editor of Cricinfo
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