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Shastri is optimistic about India’s chances in SA
By Aditya Pratap - Dec 31, 2017 10:31 am
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Indian coach Ravi Shastri is very confident for a better show this time in South Africa, where his team has landed to play three-match Test series. India has never won a bilateral series over there despite putting a great fight in last few series.

India is on roll in Test cricket since 2015 and hasn’t lost a single Test series while they have won nine in a trot. Talking about India chances in this time, “All I can say is the team is up for the challenge. If you asked me four years ago, I would have said no. But this team has gained in experience. The beauty of this team is it does not matter which opposition it is. We respect all opposition. We look at the pitch and adapt to those conditions.”

The pitches of South Africa will pose a different challenge for Indians, but Shaz is in no mood to give any excuses. India will be traveling overseas for the most part in 2018, where they will get green pitches.

“Tomorrow you go to England and it might be seaming all over the place. You come to India it might be turning. If you want to be rated as a side, you adapt to the conditions. It’s as simple as that. Leave all the other crap aside and try and compete in the conditions that on offer,” Shastri added.

South Africa has been a superpower in world cricket and they were a team with the most successful overseas record. Shastri concluded while pointing out the same thing “South Africa have always been a good solid all-round side. I mentioned that in the last two years no team has traveled well. India has started doing that.”

“If you look before that, it’s always been South Africa, ahead of any other team. It was a team that was in transition, but South Africa have always had good bench strength. The thing now, though, this will be a good contest.”

Both teams will start fighting for the pride in Cape Town from January 5.