Ahead of the two-match Test series against Team India, South Africa`s star spinner Keshav Maharaj said that there is a real hunger and desire in the Proteas` dressing room to defeat Team India in India. He also sees the upcoming contest as one of the biggest tests for the side.
So far, the side has not won a Test match in India for 15 years.
“There`s a real hunger and desire within the camp to beat India in India. It`s probably one of the toughest tours, if not the toughest in the Proteas calendar, for the various generations that have come (here),” said the spinner.
The first Test match between Team India and South Africa is scheduled to be played from November 14 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
“We feel like it`s one of our biggest tests. And it will be a wonderful opportunity to grade ourselves, to see how far we`ve come slowly. We have started to conquer other parts of the subcontinent. And I feel like this is one assignment that we really, really want to take,” added Maharaj.
The 35-year-old cricketer also feels that the pitches in India will not be much spin-friendly and will turn out to be traditional Test wickets.
“I don`t think it will be as spin-friendly as we experienced in Pakistan. I think it will be good wickets that will deteriorate as the game goes on. So, probably, more of your traditional Test wickets from what we see. I think if you watched a bit of the West Indies series, it was good wickets that went almost to day four and five. So, I do believe that the sort of narrative is changing in terms of getting wickets,” said the Durban-born cricketer.
“They (India) are a wonderful team and they`ve come a long way, especially with the transition that they have had. I would think that they want to go with good cricket wickets, just judging from the West Indies series,” he added.
On the other hand, the series will also mark Rishabh Pant`s first international appearance since the conclusion of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
IND vs SA: Full Squads
India’s Test squad: Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (WK) (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep.
South Africa squad for India tour: Temba Bavuma (C), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Zubayr Hamza, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs and Kyle Verreynne.
(With PTI Inputs)