Beating India will be ‘as big’ for Proteas as winning world title, says Conrad

Nearly three years after he was appointed as the national Test coach, Shukri Conrad says his team are facing their toughest five-day challenge since he took charge when they turn out against India in the first of two five-day matches in Kolkata starting on Friday.

Aiming to win a Test in India for the first time in more than 15 years, Conrad said on Wednesday a victory in the series opener would mean as much to the Proteas as their triumph in the World Test Championship final against Australia earlier this year.

“India is a tough challenge anywhere in the world, and when you come to an iconic venue like Eden Gardens it just makes it even tougher,” Conrad said.

“I don’t think you can compare the quality of the sides we’ve played against to India, and this will be our biggest challenge, certainly in my 20 matches. I don’t think there’s been a bigger challenge.

“Yes, we had the final against Australia that we won, which was massive, and I compare this series and this match to that final. That’s how big it is for us.”

Quality spin attack

With the Proteas spin trio of Keshav Maharaj, Simon Harmer and Senuran Muthusamy all having played key roles in South Africa’s 1-1 series draw against Pakistan last month, Conrad believed they had the firepower to put up a fight again if the conditions in Kolkata suited slow bowlers.

All three spinners took five-wicket hauls in Pakistan, and Conrad backed them to deliver again on Indian soil.

“This is not saying that we didn’t have good spinners in the past, but I certainly think we’ve got a better pack of spinners now in Kesh, Simon and Sen,” he said.

“So I think it gives us a lot of confidence that if the conditions [are spin friendly] then we feel that we’ve got the armoury to challenge India in that respect.”

All-round effort required

However, Conrad admitted that they couldn’t rely on their spinners, and the fast bowlers and batters would also need to stand up in an all-round team effort if they were to secure a historic victory in the series opener.

“I expect the fast bowlers on both sides to have an impact on the game, especially during the first couple of days, and for spin to come in slightly later,” he said.

“There are so many battles within a Test match… including the batting match-ups, so it’s certainly a mouth-watering contest.”