Pitch for the first test at Centurian,SA coach already on the job.

[King Tendulkar]

Bring it on saffies!

[Ram]

Check this out. As much as the BCCI will try to place as many impediments as possible, first by scheduling a home ODI series with NZ so close to a Saffie test series and then hesitate to send some of the senior players in case that rubbed the corporate overlords in the wrong way, the team management, specifically coach Kirsten, are taking it as seriously as they can.

Kirsten to depart early for SA Nagraj Gollapudi November 26, 2010 Gary Kirsten, India's coach, will accompany the players who are to leave early for South Africa so they can acclimatise for the upcoming tour. Eric Simons, India's bowling coach, will take over the coaching duties for the final two one-dayers against New Zealand as Kirsten heads home. "He [Kirsten] will leave early along with first bunch 8-10 players," a BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo. Among the players departing are captain MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Cheteshwar Pujara and Jaydev Unadkat. It is also likely that Suresh Raina will be rested for the final two one-day games of the New Zealand series, and will join the players who are departing early, after Dhoni publicly expressed concern about his workload during the third Test against New Zealand. Seven of the players will leave on December 6, while Dhoni and Harbhajan will join them two days later, along with Kirsten. Raina is likely to leave on the same flight as those three. The players will initially train at Kirsten' cricket academy in Cape Town before moving to Johannesburg to join the rest of the squad, which will arrive in South Africa on December 12, two days after the New Zealand ODI series ends. The three-Test series begins at Centurion on December 16. The Indian board had recently granted permission for some of the players to leave a week in advance, after Kirsten made a request for them to do so. The coach felt that in the absence of India not playing any warm-up matches before the first Test, it was imperative players be sent early to get used to the conditions. Kirsten had sent in his request earlier this year, stressing to the board that the players needed time to acclimatise and also adjust to the pitch conditions in South Africa. However, the board took months to consider the request, mostly because of any potential objections the broadcaster might raise about devaluing the New Zealand ODI series, before giving permission earlier this month. "We have a lot of work still to do on the specifics of technique prior to the Test series. The players will need time to adjust their techniques to get comfortable with the conditions," Kirsten said. "The BCCI has approved the early departure of some our players to South Africa to have sufficient time to prepare properly for a very important series." Nagraj Gollapudi is an assistant editor at Cricinfo Feeds: Nagraj Gollapudi

http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-india-2010/content/current/story/489239.html This is great, hope all the planning and dedication pays off!

[Clarke]

Bhajji must do reasonably well for us to win this series. He is a good enough bowler to trouble the Saffers on their pitches in every single game.

[rkt.india]

i do not think except Durban there will be any green top pitch

[saneindian]

On topic, why are only 7 players going to SA early with Kirsten? Assuming Gambhir, Sree and Vijay from the test squad play all the 5 ODIs, why not send rest of the 13 from the SA bound 15 along with Kirsten. In fact even Gambhir, Vijay and Sree need to be in SA early to acclamatise, else they will get just 2 days in SA before the 1st test begins.

[Pak_Forever]

This could very well backfire for SA, but lively pitches are the only thing which will get a result out of this series. SA on such pitches will have an upper hand as their pace attack will be more effective, and India hasn't played a Test on a good pitch for a while so it could impact their performance. If lively tracks are prepared then this will be a really good series to follow.

[jusarrived]

thats great news for us

[kabira]

Centurion Stats Dec 2009 SA vs England http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/387570.html Spinners: First Innings was ruled by Spinners from both the side. Total wickets to spinners: 13 out of 36 wickets Nov 2008 SA v/s Bangladesh http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/350346.html only thing to note is Saqib taking 6 wickets. Nov 2007 SA v/s Kiwis another innings victory for SA This seems seamer friendly wicket http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/298794.html Jan 2007 vs Pak http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/250665.html seems good wicket both spinner and seamers took wickets. April 2006 vs Newzealand Cracker of the game http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/238205.html seems pacer friendly wicket South Africa has never lost here, only 2 draws since 1995....last draw agauinst England was close one, England were 9 wicket down. I hope we have a good practice before the first game and also 3 day game if possible.

[ZodiaC]

Mills and Franklin had some funz there Hope we get a similar track, our pacers will eat them alive.

[saneindian]

Centurion will be like the Gabba pitch, all the promises of a spicy pitch will vanish after first hour of the test match.

[saneindian]

We have never played a test at Centurion, but in the few odis we have played, Raman scored a 100 in an odi on the 1992 tour!

[ZodiaC]

^^Raman who?

[Sachin=GOD]

^^Raman who?

Woorkeri Raman http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/33058.html

[youngindia]

Pitch for the first test at Centurian,SA coach already on the job. http://www.sport24.co.za/Cricket/IndiaInSA/No-Green-Mamba-for-first-Test-20101207 I'm definitely not going to prepare a pitch where the Test will be over within three days," said groundsman Hilbert Smith. "But it will be a pitch that will definitely offer something for the bowlers on the first morning.” He has already received a call from the South Africa coach, Corrie van Zyl, about what is required for December 16.

India in SA No green mamba for first Test 2010-12-07 Christo Buchner Johannesburg – The South African bowlers won't be unleashed on a green mamba wicket in the first Test against India at SuperSport Park in Centurion. "I'm definitely not going to prepare a pitch where the Test will be over within three days," said groundsman Hilbert Smith. "But it will be a pitch that will definitely offer something for the bowlers on the first morning.” "I want to prepare a pitch where it won't just be an automatic choice to bat if you win the toss," the experienced Titans groundsman told Sport24. Of the 15 Tests that have been played there, SA has won 11. They have lost only one, the controversial one against the English in 2000; three were drawn, also against England, with only one not influenced by rain. He has already received a call from the South Africa coach, Corrie van Zyl, about what is required for December 16. He didn't want to reveal, however, what Van Zyl requested for the first Test against (coach) Gary Kirsten's team, but said they spoke the same language and sang from the same hymn book. "Look," says Smith, "everybody wants the ball to fly past the Indian batsman's ears because they are apparently vulnerable against short deliveries. "But to make this happen, you need a lot of grass on the pitch. "Then you can have a scenario where one team is bowled out for 120 while the other gets 150. "Even an average seamer is then made to look world class. "That is not what you want," he said. "If we win the toss on that sort of a pitch and bowl them out cheaply, then I'm the hero, but think what could happen if the roles are reversed and they bowl us out cheaply. "Then they demand your head and everyone wants to know what went wrong. "I want to see that first session or that first morning playing a big role, because it’s then that there has to be something for the bowlers, and the batsmen will have to stand strong to survive.” Smith said the weather a few days before the Test will also play a big role in how the pitch will look eventually. According to him, it is also an extraordinary situation that the final of the MTN40 will be decided on Friday, only six days before the Test begins next Thursday. This pitch and the Test pitch are next to each other. The pitch for the Titans' battle against the Knights will be one for the batsmen, however, and the bowlers will have to work for their wickets.

[Chandan]

So most probably the pitch will be a be a bouncy green top on day one and then proceed to become a good batting track, much like what Gabba was during this Ashes? I doubt it. So I still don't get what sort of a pitch SA coach might have requested!

[ravishingravi]

I think a green top might not necessarily work for SA.

[The Outsider]

Too much is being made out of the pitches in the build up to the series. South African tracks have been by an large sporting wickets over the last few years. There has been the occasional custom tracks they have made like against us in 2006 or against England at Johannesburg last year, but by and large the wickets have been nothing really nasty. I don't expect anything with branches growing out of the pitch unless South Africa are trailing in the series and desperate for a result even at the risk of losing the match at the spin of the coin. Centurion and Cape Town have traditionally been very fair tracks.

[vamos_rafa]

"Look," says Smith, "everybody wants the ball to fly past the Indian batsman's ears because they are apparently vulnerable against short deliveries.

What the Feck?? Even the curator is upto mind games now.... "But to make this happen, you need a lot of grass on the pitch.

"Then you can have a scenario where one team is bowled out for 120 while the other gets 150.

Don't you guys think they are stressing too much on our prospective weakness. But they are forgetting that if our batsmen do struggle then even can their's. Our team is no longer a pushover overseas. If Zak or Sree can get their tails up then SA's would be having a tough time to save their asses. And I am not being over optimistic. We showed them the last time as well. And the last series was lost more on the count of 2 brain farts we had. One was on the last day in Durban and another one was in the 3rd test.

[jibranpatel15]

DALE STEYN interview on test series against INDIA Dale Steyn has said the preparation of result-oriented pitches will be the key to South Africa maintaining their supremacy against India at home during the upcoming Test series. South Africa begin their home summer against India at Centurion on December 16, their first assignment after a drawn series against Pakistan in the UAE. "It will be really sad if we have similar wickets to the ones we had when we played Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates," Steyn told ESPNcricinfo. "This is a big series between two good sides and we need results to keep people interested." The battle between the No. 1 and 2 ranked Test sides is expected to be influenced by the conditions in South Africa, with the visitors warned to anticipate bounce and pace from the pitches. Steyn saw the playing field as more level with India's batsmen, whose traditional weakness on tour has been the short ball, becoming more experienced in dealing with lively surfaces. "Everybody has played enough around the world now for no conditions to be totally unknown," he said. "The Indian batsmen have proven themselves over the years and the pitches will be a test for both of us: our bowlers against their batters and their bowlers against our batters." That's not to say Steyn doesn't think South Africa hold a slight edge. "I still think that our bowlers tend to bowl better in these conditions. And it's the same with our batsmen. They are more used to these conditions." India already know that and are preparing for the barrage of bouncers that will be hurled their way at a week-long training camp at Gary Kirsten's academy in Cape Town. The memory of Steyn's career-best match haul of 10-108, which included 7-51 in the first innings on a particularly responsive pitch in Nagpur in February, will be fresh in their minds. Although that type of wicket is Steyn's favourite, he doesn't expect to see a strip as inviting as that all the time. "Every bowler wants a green top but we don't get them that often. Pitches around the world favour batters these days, I don't know if it's because they get used so much and they are worn out. The truth is that you rarely find a wicket that offers bowlers enough to get 20 wickets quickly. We have to work for our wickets." Steyn singled out the Indian opening partnership as the one that will take the most toil to break. "A guy like Sachin, with the reputation that he is has, is always going to be an important wicket. But for me, their opening pair is terrifying, with Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag." Without giving away any of the strategies he has been working on, Steyn hinted that South Africa have been brainstorming their bowling tactics . "The important thing for us will be to bowl to plans and to stick to those plans." A big part of those plans will be the role of the two new-ball bowlers, Steyn and Morne Morkel. "We know if we do well, the team has a good chance of doing well," Steyn said. Steyn has enjoyed success against India, taking 32 wickets in seven Tests. Morkel has 15 from six against India and together they've shared 206 wickets in 24 matches. "We've played a lot of cricket together at the Titans and now with the national side and we are always fighting between us for wickets. That really helps us because we are each motivation for the other." The competition between the two is stiff with Steyn currently lying third on the 2010 list of wicket-takers, with 45 scalps, and Morkel sixth with 37. Steyn has no clear favourite among the three surfaces the Tests will be played on, although he does lean towards his home ground, Newlands, as the one that will offer the best cricketing experience. "All three wickets are great. I grew up playing in Pretoria, so I know exactly what to expect from that pitch. Now I live in Cape Town and it's just an unbelievable place to play cricket. South Africa's record is great at Newlands and to have the third test here will be good." Steyn may be surprised to learn that, of the 45 Tests South Africa played at Newlands, they've won 17 and lost 19. Since readmission, which is probably the period Steyn was thinking about, South Africa won 14 out of the 21 matches played there, losing only three.

[TheWall]

India has always had problem with the pitch only in the 1st session.