Rahul Dravid refused to be pessimistic orintimidated as he looked ahead to Sunday’s game against South Africa

Dileep Premachandran in Johannesburg18-Nov-2006

Rahul Dravid: “It’s going to be very competitive, really tough andwe’re going to have to play very well” © AFP
The dressing room door at the Wanderers tells you that you’re now in[Highveld] Lions territory, but Rahul Dravid refused to be pessimistic orintimidated as he looked ahead to Sunday’s game against South Africa.While he said that it would be a test of character for the younger membersof his side, he was confident that there was enough experience within theranks to cope with the challenge posed by a South African team that edgedAustralia 3-2 in a one-day series last March.”There have been some good past experiences here and some not-so-goodones,” he said, when asked whether India’s poor record against SouthAfrica in these climes would have any bearing on the outcome. “It’s a goodthing for this team to be tested on this tour going into some big eventsnext year. We know it’s going to be very competitive, really tough andwe’re going to have to play very well. But the boys are keen to learn andadjust to conditions which they are not used to.”With persistent drizzle forcing them indoors on Friday and Saturday, thebatsmen geared up with long sessions against the bowling machine. VirenderSehwag, who was rated an unlikely starter 24 hours ago, came through wellon Saturday afternoon, playing a full range of strokes in the nets. “We’lljust have a final fitness test depending on his fielding,” said Dravid.”Unfortunately, due to the weather, we haven’t had a chance to have thatpractice, but we’ll see how he feels tomorrow morning.”Dale Steyn’s searing pace proved too hot to handle in the warm-up game,but Dravid reckoned that the more callow men in his squad would only havegained from the experience. “You get off the plane and come up against apretty good bowling attack on what the South Africans considered anabove-average bouncy wicket in Benoni,” he said. “But it was a goodexperience and we’ll learn from that. You can see that they’re very keento learn and adapt. In some ways, it’s a good early lesson for our boys onwhat they are going to experience and how they might have to cope.”He also brushed aside suggestions that Indians were more vulnerableagainst pace than other sides. “We have some proven players, guys who havedone very well against fast bowling and who have outstanding records inour country and outside – including getting runs here and the World Cup,”he said. “We have some good young players as well, who have to get betterand improve.”Dravid himself scored his first Test century at the Wanderers nearly 10years ago, and his memorable duel with Allan Donald in an ODI at Durban isstill remembered by many. “I’ve always enjoyed playing in South Africa,”he said. “You get good sporting wickets that give you a chance. I’vealways believed that if you have good technique, you have a much broaderrange of shots to play.”The key is to get through the initial difficult period and adjust to thebounce but after that, you can actually showcase your skill as a batsman alot better than at some other places where you have to play aone-dimensional game.”The No.3 slot has had no regular occupant for a while, with Irfan Pathandoing the job on several occasions in the recent past, but Dravid refusedto be drawn on whether he would be promoting himself up the order inbowler-friendly conditions. “We’re missing a bit of experience with Yuvraj[Singh] in the middle order, so it’s a question of getting the balanceright,” he said. “You might see me come up the order, but I’m mindful ofthe fact that we can’t be too top-heavy as well. We need someone tocontrol the middle and later overs. Probably, we’ll use [Mahendra Singh]Dhoni to do the role of Yuvraj.”Despite the fact that only four men reached double figures against Rest ofSouth Africa, Dravid was of the view that India needed to persist with thefive-bowler strategy that has often been employed in recent times. “I’msomeone who likes to play five bowlers,” he said. “Australia are usingtheir allrounder as an opener. Going ahead, we’re going to have to bebrave and positive. That’s the only way I know how to play. We’re going totake the bull by the horns. Six batsmen should do the job.”With the overcast conditions suggesting a pace-oriented attack, AnilKumble is likely to sit out though he picked up 2 for 31 in the warm-upgame. “We picked Anil keeping in mind his experience and the kind ofconditions we’re likely to face in the West Indies,” said Dravid. “It wasa chance to get him in the squad and for us to dip into his knowledge andexperience. He’s great guy to have in the side. We may have to pickbetween one of them on this tour.”Another of those on the comeback trail is Zaheer Khan, and after thesavaging that Sreesanth and Munaf Patel got at the hands of JacquesRudolph and Albie Morkel, he and Ajit Agarkar are likely to be entrustedwith the old ball on a pitch where South Africa chased down 434 not solong ago. “We’re looking at all sorts of combinations,” said Dravid.”Zaheer has bowled very well and is looking very fit and hungry. It’s agood sign for us. He also brings his experience – not only in the deathovers, which is important, but also right through the innings.”Having lost both previous matches against South Africa at this storiedvenue, Dravid and his men can only hope that it will be third time luckyon Sunday. South Africa’s pedigree on home turf means that they’ll have toplay out of their skins to do what even Australia couldn’t a few monthsago.