Safs sketch their plan: No draws, we’re here to win

Putting the right bowling attack together is an important factor that has had the South African management going into a huddle. The idea, if we listen to the coach Ray Jennings, is not to make changes for the sake of giving players a game just because they are on tour. That’s one way of looking at it.

Another view, perhaps, is how Smith, while not quite ducking the issue of whether the experiment with Andrew Hall as an opening batsman would continue, did talk about pressure and how the side wanted to give the South African public a Test victory before the start of the five-match series against England.

‘‘We have a solid Test record this year’’, he said, quantifying this by admitting how the limited over international form had been erratic. ‘‘We have come here to try and win this series, and there is a lot of pressure on both sides. So to suggest we will be happy with a second draw is not strictly accurate. Of course we want to win. It is what the game is about.’’

Smith’s words were contrary to Jennings’ suggestion that a ‘‘drawn series will suit us fine’’ but South Africa, and India, for that matter, need to move out of neutral gear and start thinking about winning instead of playing for safety as they did in Kanpur.

Half a century ago, a South African team written off by their own media adopted a positive and attacking gameplan and levelled 2-2 against a powerful Australian team. Smith and Co in India can go one better and win back-to-back series.

South Africa beamed on winning the toss in Kanpur. If they batted sensibly, they could dictate the pace of the game. Spending eight sessions (the seventh was lost to fog) batting achieved just that; thrusting all the blame on India, who at least did try to attack. In that case it is hard to buy into Jennings’ story of how the fog altered their gameplan.

They don’t want a repeat of that, but Smith winning the toss will see a similar pattern to the Kanpur game, unless, of course, the Indian pace attack makes early inroads and that is where the South Africans need to look at their batting order.

Martin van Jaarsveld is expected to give way to Hashim Amla, while there could be an interesting switch in the lower order with Alfonso Thomas brought in for Robin Peterson. That would make Amla the first South African of Asian origin playing Test debut.

Thomas, however, represents a switch in thinking. He’s an honest swing bowler with deceptive outswing, and what a stage to make a debut. A year ago he was bowling on flat surfaces in South Africa, taking wickets and getting lateral movement where recognised swing bowlers couldn’t. He is that type of bowler.