CAPE TOWN/JOHANNESBURG – Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said on Saturday that his team were ready to make history when they face South Africa in the series-deciding third and final Test starting at Newlands on Sunday. “The good thing with this side is that we know why we can win a series in South Africa,” said Dhoni.
India were in the same situation four years ago when they came to Newlands with the series level at one-all – but Dhoni said the mood in the side was much more confident this time around. South Africa won by five wickets on that occasion and India have yet to win or even share a series in South Africa. “The dressing room is much better now,” he said.
“It doesn’t mean that it was bad four years ago but I can say this is the best dressing room that I have felt in the last five years. Most of the guys have achieved a lot in their long Test careers. Dhoni said India’s success in reaching number one on the Test rankings was based on attention to detail. “We focus on the small things, we prepare well, we make good plans and then we go out to execute those plans.”
It is India’s fifth Test tour of South Africa and Dhoni acknowledged: “It’s a chance to create history. We did that when we won the first Test in Johannesburg in (December) 2006 when we won in South Africa for the first time. South African captain Graeme Smith said his team needed to perform better than they did in the second Test in Durban, which India won by 87 runs.
“We were not as focused as we should have been and we lacked a bit of discipline at key moments.” Smith said the main reason for the loss in Durban was the failure of the batsmen but he said he was confident they would bounce back. “We have had a lot of success as a batting unit but in Durban we seemed to lose our minds. We have spoken a lot about what needs to be done.”
Unseasonal rain swept across Newlands on Saturday morning and South Africa were forced to cancel a scheduled practice although the sun came out later when it was India’s turn to train. Tahir gains South African citizenship: Pakistani-born leg spinner Imran Tahir has been granted South African citizenship and is eligible to play for his adopted country with immediate effect, Cricket South Africa announced.
Tahir, 31, was picked by the Proteas to play against England in January last year but was later withdrawn from the squad because he had not fulfilled residency requirements in his new home. “Imran has made South Africa his home and has been married for some time to a South African. He has been a leading wicket taker in the top South African domestic competitions for the past few seasons and is highly respected by both his colleagues and his opponents,” CSA chief executive Gerald Majola said in a statement.
