New Delhi: Aware but not in awe of Indian batsmen’s command over spinners on home turf, South African coach Russell Domingo on Monday said the Proteas would rely on their pace battery to rattle the formidable home line-up in the upcoming cricket series.
South Africa have spinners in Imran Tahir, Dane Piedt and Simon Harmer but the experience of speedsters like Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel has always held them in good stead.
“Indians are very good players of spin, we know that. Our fast bowlers have always been successful whenever South Africa has toured India. Although spin is going to be a very big factor in this series, it’s important that our seamers start going for us,” Domingo said in a media interaction.
“We have got very good spinners in the experienced Imran Tahir and two young spinners in Dane Piedt and Simon Harmer. It would be a great experience for them to play against these (Indian) players under these conditions in high pressure environment. But like I said, the seamers have done the business for us around the world and I expect them to play a big part under these conditions as well.”
The likes of Steyn and Morkel though are not part of the T20I squad but Domingo insisted the duo is in the future scheme of things in the shortest format with the WorldT20 slated to happen in India next year.
“Yes, they (Steyn and Morkel) are very much in the plans. It being a very long tour, we had to decide how best to manage our bowlers. Dale or Morne, for them to be here for 75 days is going to be a tough ask, practising day in and day out, expected to play the one-dayers, expected to play the Test matches,” Domingo said.
“It also does allows us an opportunity to develop the next battery of fast bowlers, guys like Khaya Zondo or Kyle Abbott, the Chris Morris’s, the Marchant de Lange’s. So it’s a bit of a win-win situation for us although the World T20 is important for us. It does allow us to keep those other options and keep those guys fresh as possible for the Test and the one-dayers,” he added.
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