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India’s 108-run victory over South Africa did make some heads turn, as did the pitch. In a match where 34 of the 40 wickets fell to spin, Imran Tahir, South Africa’s main spinner said that he was looking forward to the pitch at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore which is to host the next Test, reported IBN live.com.
The pitches during the recently concluded T20 and ODI series were quite different from what the curator presented at Mohali. At Mohali, there was turn from day one, with every ball followed by a puff of dust as it landed on the pitch. Both the Indians and South Africans had no clue of what was going on.
India managed to win by 108 runs because of some gritty batting from Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, whereas South Africa had only one standout batsman, AB de Villiers who was the only one who showed some determination and took the bowlers on.
Tahir who ended with figures of 6 for 71 in the first test said that he was looking forward to the next match and that there was always pressure to perform at an international level, be it T20’s, ODI’s or Tests.
"The pressure is always there, it doesn’t matter where you play," Tahir said during an interview on Monday. "It’s how you cope with it that will set you apart. There is definitely pressure, everyone expects you to take wickets because it's turning miles and the Indian spinners are taking wickets," he added.
I believe in giving a 100 percent: Tahir
Tahir also went on to say that he always wanted to give his hundred percent for the team and that the team will fight back and get a better result during the second test. "I focus on what I need to do for the team that is how I challenge myself. I don’t like to look outside of it. At the end of the day, I give my 100 percent for the team, that is satisfying," he said.
"I’m the guy who believes that whatever I’m playing – be it T20s, ODIs or Test matches. If I give all that I have in me for the Proteas, I will be satisfied," Tahir said.
Tahir felt that the batsmen had to be invited to drive on the turning tracks to pick up wickets. "The conditions here allow you to spin the ball a little bit more. If you are playing on hard tracks where the ball doesn’t spin much, you are more likely to give batsmen the opportunity to score easily. Here you want to get them to play shots, and try to bowl slowly," said the leggie.
The Proteas spinner said he wasn’t thinking too much about the tracks India will dish out during the second Test at Bangalore, and went on to add that he is looking forward to the challenge.
"It doesn’t matter if it goes my way or not, that is the mindset I have for every format. I’ve had a few bad matches in Test cricket [and], I could have easily given up, but I wanted to challenge myself," he said.
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