By Admin 
South Africa may be the reigning World Test Champion, but the magnitude of the challenge that awaits the side in the upcoming two-Test series in India was not lost on head coach Shukri Conrad. On Wednesday here at the Eden Gardens, he called it “the biggest challenge.”
“India is a tough challenge anywhere in the world, and when you come to an iconic venue like Eden Gardens, it just makes it tougher,” Conrad said ahead of Friday’s opening Test.
“I don’t think there’s been a bigger challenge. Yes, we had the [WTC] final against Australia that we won, which was massive. I compare this series and this match to that final. That’s how big it is for us.”
But South Africa appears to have a capable bowling attack for this testing sojourn. A fast-bowling pack led by Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen, and a spin-bowling combination helmed by Keshav Maharaj are not to be trifled with.
“[With spinners] Keshav, Simon [Harmer] and Sen [Senuran Muthusamy]… I think it gives us a lot of confidence that we’ve got the armoury to challenge India,” Conrad stated.
“[But] if history is to be believed, then there’s always something for the fast bowlers at Eden Gardens. So I expect the fast bowlers on both sides to have an impact on the game, especially in the first couple of days, and for spin to come in slightly later. There are so many battles within the Test match, within this big war.”
The 58-year-old was also relieved to have leader Temba Bavuma back after a two-month-long injury-induced hiatus. The skipper returned for South Africa-A versus India-A in Bengaluru recently and scored a half-century in the successful 417-run chase.
“He’s been one of the best players in the world. The calmness he brings to the batting unit, his leadership, his quiet demeanour… we get a lot of feel-good from that. We are thrilled that he got through the A game as well as he did.”