Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly said that the conditions at Dharamsala, which is the venue for the first Twenty20 International (T20I) between India and South Africa, will suit the visitors as it is a day and night match in the northern part of India, reported Cricket Country.
“Over the years, many of these overseas players have played quite a lot of cricket in the sub-continent because of the IPL and this will be an advantage in getting used to conditions quickly,” Ganguly added.
The current Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) President was also looking forward at seeing MS Dhoni bat at No.4 . “It was a very positive move in Bangladesh and I hope he continues doing so in the shortest format of the game,” he said.
Ganguly also opined that although the visitors have a superb away record, the challenge ahead of them this time is the length of the tour since they have never played in India for such a long stretch of time. “It is a fact that South Africa have not lost an away series since 2006, but the biggest challenge for the Proteas this time around will be the 72-day tour. They will have to be in a mindset whereby they can easily adapt to such a long tour and stay hungry and determined in Indian conditions without losing focus,” he said.
“On paper, both sides look evenly poised. South Africa have some big names in their ranks with the likes of Hashim Amla, Dale Steyn, AB de Villiers, Morne Morkel, JP Duminy being the seasoned ones. They also have talents such as David Miller, Faf du Plessis and their spin attack will be led by Imran Tahir, who is a wily customer. He will have a huge role to play as the series progresses,” Ganguly added.
The left hander said that it will be a good opportunity for India to continue the good work after their successful tour of Sri Lanka.
