South Africa are wary of slow and spinning tracks that will be on offer in the upcoming Test rubber against India, and all-rounder Faf du Plessis yesterday said off-spinner R Ashwin will be their main threat
Ravichandran Ashwin and (inset) Faf du Plessis
Mohali: 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 all-rounder Faf du Plessis yesterday said off-spinner R Ashwin will be their main threat.
Also Read: Mohali Test - Kohli, Vijay, Ashwin sweat it out in the nets
Faf du Plessis
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Asked if the visitors are expecting the turf to suit the home side, Du Plessis said, "We are expecting the ball to spin on Day One, you expect it and then you plan for it.
"In India I think it is a lot more aggressive now than it used to be in the past where the pitches probably spin on Day Three, Four and Five but they start doing that on Day One now.
"So that means the Test matches won't last long. But for us if it lasts only three days, we will have our plans to try and be attacking, to make sure to wait for opportunity and put momentum in our favour," Du Plessis told reporters at the IS Bindra PCA Stadium after the team's practice session ahead of the first Test starting Thursday.
Also Read: Fitness test for off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin?
Ravichandran Ashwin. Pic:AP/PTI
Du Plessis said Ashwim, who will be returning from a short injury lay-off, will be the man to watch out for going into the Test series. "He 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 said.
"Ashwin is our main threat, but we will plan really well. The way we play Ashwin in this series will definitely determine the success in this series."
Du Plessis expects the Mohali track to turn from the opening day. "It looks quite dry. We are expecting big spin on Day One. "The way the wicket is looking at the moment, perhaps, it's worked," he said about the Mohali track.
Four
Number of wickets taken by off-spinner R Ashwin in his only Test at PCA Stadium in Mohali
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