Beware Team India: Testing times ahead

The "bounce-back" process has to start from Benoni, where the Indians will face a decent team which has promising players like Chris Morris and Riley Rossouw. (AFP Photo)

JOHANNESBURG: The evening showers in Centurion on Sunday might well have saved India the ignominy of a 3-0 whitewash in the one-day internationals. However, the feeling in the South African camp is that Indian players will carry "some scars" from their ODI mauling into the Tests, which starts in six days' time. 

There's a two-day practice game in Benoni starting on Friday against the South African Invitational XI and the process of getting the house in order has to start from there. 

The Test specialists who are certainties in the XI - M Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara and Zaheer Khan - need to get some playing time in the middle along with ODI failures like Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and R Ashwin. 

The Indian team, of course, is trying to play down the verbal assault of the South Africans before they get into Test mode. While Zaheer said "those are merely big talks of the opposition", Ashwin refused to acknowledge that India's performance had been disastrous. 

"What's a disaster? We use such terms when it's a world war. Things haven't exactly gone in our favour in ODIs and we have learnt some important lessons ahead of the Tests," Ashwin said. 

The Indians didn't get a bat against the South African attack on Wednesday night due to rain, so it's difficult to predict what they have actually learnt during the course of their 141 and 134-run losses in the first two matches. 

However, the bowlers, especially Ishant Sharma, looked more incisive than in Durban and figures of 4-40 might have come as a relief for the paceman. "It's all in the mind. We have been working very hard on our game and there's belief that we can bounce back," Ishant said. 

The "bounce-back" process has to start from Benoni, where the Indians will face a decent team which has promising players like Chris Morris and Riley Rossouw. 

Coach Duncan Fletcher has been working on the shot selection of the players and the Benoni game will show how much they have learnt. It's crucial for the likes of Pujara and Vijay to get into the groove as early as possible. 

Pujara, who has been in prime form both in international and domestic cricket, is looking to carry the confidence into this series as well. 

"We have been here for a week and working on our game. We have been constantly told that if we can get the first few overs out, batting can be enjoyable on these tracks," India's No. 3 said. 

Vijay also has a plan in mind and says it's about negotiating the pace and bounce in the initial stages of the innings. "We have to leave some balls early. I have been to South Africa before and have a fair idea how to go about things," the Tamil Nadu opener said. Used to playing on the docile tracks of India, these technical adjustments are easier said than done. 

"It's already been difficult for them and come Jo'burg (the venue of the first Test), we are looking to make it even tougher," South Africa skipper AB de Villier's said. It's up to Dhoni's devils to take it up and make it an even contest in the Test series
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