South Africa have the perfect game plan to secure a rare test series victory in India, leading batsman AB de Villiers said on Friday.
South Africa have the perfect game plan to secure a rare test series victory in India, leading batsman AB de Villiers said on Friday.
"We have got a nice game plan in the sub-continent. We'll stick to it and hopefully we'll come good," de Villiers told reporters before the second and final test starting at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday. "We've been doing well."
Winning in tough Indian conditions is particularly difficult for visitors as the pitches assist spin, are on the slow side and offer low bounce.
South Africa took a 1-0 lead after winning the opening test in Nagpur by an innings and six runs in under four days to hand India their first test defeat at home in almost two years.
Top-ranked India's previous home test defeat before Nagpur was to South Africa in the second test in Ahmedabad in 2008.
India have only lost two test series at home in the last decade, to South Africa in 2000 and Australia in 2004.
The tourists expect the Eden Gardens pitch to assist spin, India's traditional strength.
"There's a little bit of grass on the wicket at the moment. I'm pretty sure they'll take off a bit of the grass in the next 48 hours," de Villiers said.
"But it's up to the groundsman to decide, we have no control over that."
South Africa will take back the number one ranking if they win the series and de Villers, who scored a fifty in Nagpur, said the team's confidence was sky-high after back-to-back wins.
Hashim Amla scored 253 not out and Jacques Kallis hit 173 before fast bowler Dale Steyn took a match haul of 10-108 to blow India away.
"Cricket is all about momentum and confidence and we got some confidence coming from Johannesburg (where thet beat England) to the last test match at Nagpur.
"Obviously it'll be nice to be number one in the world. But at the moment we are building and we are trying to dominate world cricket instead of trying to work ourselves to number one."
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