Du Plessis believes that playing Ashwin well is key to success
South African batsman Faf du Plessis believes that Ravichandran Ashwin is the biggest threat that the Proteas will face in the upcoming Test series against India. Spin will be India's main weapon in the Test series as they look to put behind the disappointment of the T20I and ODI series losses.
Du Plessis was speaking before the first Test match is due to start on November 5 in Mohali, as per a report on TOI. Depending on the amount of spin that each pitch might offer, India will be looking to unleash their spin trio – Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Amit Mishra – and gain an upper hand early on in the series.
The South Africans have assessed the conditions well so far and played to their strengths in the limited-overs series to give them convincing victories. Du Plessis talked about how none of the players are taking India lightly and how the team is expecting the pitches to assist spin and in turn assist India's chances of winning.
“Frankly, to me, the Mohali wicket looks quite dry and I am sure it will spin big from Day 1 itself. The way it is at this moment, I feel it has been worked. In fact we are expecting that the ball will turn from Day 1 at all the four venues,” Du Plessis said.,
“We have made our plans accordingly. It is a lot more aggressive now in India than it used to be in the past where the pitches probably spun on Day 3, 4 and 5, but they start doing that on Day 1 now,” he continued.
Du Plessis noted that it was not really spin that was the big threat to the South African batsmen, rather it was Ashwin who would decide the outcome of the Test match and the series.
“Ashwin is an outstanding spinner, but I feel we played him well in the T20s. Now, it's about Test cricket, where, with the conditions on offer, he will surely get a lot more turn. He is definitely our main threat, but we will plan well. The way we play Ashwin will determine the outcome of this series,” he said.
South Africa have not lost a single Test match on their travels in the last nine years which is an incredible record. They will be looking to keep that record going and will be hoping to carry forward the good form with the bat and the ball.
Du Plessis was happy with the way he batted for the first time in ODIs on Indian soil. The Proteas will hope that they overcome the challenges that the Indian players come up with and maintain their stronghold on the top spot in the Test rankings.
After the first Test that starts on November 5 in Mohali, South Africa will travel to Bengaluru, Nagpur and Delhi to play the final three Tests starting on November 14, November 25 and December 3 respectively.