Press Trust of India
Mohali, Nov 2: The wins in the T20 and ODI series, notwithstanding, South Africa are wary of slow and spinning tracks that will be on offer in the upcoming Test rubber against India, and Faf du Plessis said Monday that off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will be their main threat.
Asked if the visitors are expecting the turf to suit the home side, Du Plessis said, “We are expecting the ball to spin from day one, you expect it and then you plan for it. Earlier it used to spin from day three, four. Not anymore.”
But the middle-order mainstay pointed out that his side will be playing aggressive cricket from the word go. “Even if a Test lasts for three days in India, we will have our plans. We will be attacking as much as we can. That is our approach,” said Du Plessis after his team’s training session at the PCA Stadium here.
Du Plessis said Ashwin, who will be returning from a short injury lay-off, will be the man to watch out for going into the Test series. “He (Ashwin) is an outstanding spinner but I feel we played him well (in T20s). Now, it’s a case of Test cricket, but with the conditions he will get a little more turn,” he informed.
“Ashwin is our main threat, but we will plan really well. The way we play Ashwin in this series will definitely determine our success in this series,” Du Plessis added.
Du Plessis expected the Mohali track to turn from the opening day. “It looks quite dry. We are expecting big spin from day one itself. Definitely India are going to play to their strengths,” Du Plessis pointed out.
Du Plessis also took a dig at the Indian team management, who had expressed their reservations at the pitch offered during the fifth and final ODI in Mumbai. “I don’t think they would be complaining about the wickets if they had won,” the 31-year-old said.
