Not surprised by Kirstens decision to quit: Steyn

While he has been the fun element in the Hyderabad Sunrisers side,from setting fans off on treasure hunts for tickets to crooning Bollywood hits

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While he has been the fun element in the Hyderabad Sunrisers side,from setting fans off on treasure hunts for tickets to crooning Bollywood hits in the team bus,Dale Steyn will return to being Team India’s No.1 nemesis when they embark on their tour to South Africa.

Steyn who has snared 14 wickets with an incredible economy rate of 5.73 for Hyderabad this season is not shy of billing his team,the present top-dogs in Test cricket,as the favourites. “We have got a pretty good Test side at the moment,to be fair,and we play quite well at home. I would like to say that we would win it. Coming to South Africa,it is a difficult place to play cricket. Wickets here are lot flatter than what it is there and the Indian batsmen will find it difficult,” he said.

One Indian batsman in particular that Steyn will be encountering in all likelihood is his Sunrisers teammate Shikhar Dhawan,who should be opening India’s innings in November. The express speedster is already looking forward to his battles with the left-handed opener.

“India has got some fantastic players. Shikhar Dhawan is batting nicely and they have got some great players. We will wait for the next couple of months and see what happens,” he added.

India’s tour to South Africa was also expected to be battle of wits between a mentor and his protege with Duncan Fletcher and Gary Kirsten on opposite sides. It would have also have been the former South African opener’s first Test assignment against his former employers,who he led to the No.1 spot in the rankings before repeating the feat with the Proteas. But with Kirsten unexpectedly having decided to call it quits,that contest will have to wait.

Telltale signs

His coach’s resignation,though,has not come as a surprise to Steyn. “I thought it was always coming. Gary is a massive family man. When we were in Australia and we had a 10-day break and he jumped on a plane and flew home for three days to be with his family. Him stepping down as the T20 coach and allowing Russell Domingo to take over,they were all telltale signs that something was coming,” he said.

While India’s Test tour is quite some time away,Steyn will be coming up against MS Dhoni & Co next month itself when the two teams face off in the opening game of the Champions Trophy in England. And Steyn did confess that he might have let out a tactic or two with regards to getting the better of some of his compatriots during the course of the IPL.

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“You don’t hide things anymore when it comes to strategising about opposition batsmen. All that matters is winning the IPL. The first couple of years were a bit difficult because you didn’t know whether you should be telling these guys about your compatriots because you didn’t know whether they are your real teammates. It doesn’t matter anymore,” he said.