Adjusting to the bounce is critical - Dravid

Greg Chappell and Rahul Dravid have stressed that the Indian team should look at the forthcoming tour of South Africa as an opportunity to play good cricket and produce results, rather than worry about the recent losses or be overly concerned at the kind of conditions they will face on the tour.

"I think most teams find it difficult when they go on to different surfaces," said Chappell. "It will be a challenge for us, we have given it quite a bit of consideration. It's an opportune time to have a challenge such as this given the development of the players. If we play as good as we can, we'll make a very good series of it. Having said that, most of the senior guys know the conditions particularly well and had good success during the World Cup in 2003."

"Adjusting to bounce is going to be critical," said Dravid, who had personal success in South Africa. "As a batsman you've got to show patience, show a bit of courage. One's character is going to be tested on the tour. It is a great opportunity to learn about yourself and your game." Dravid added that it was sometimes better to be batting on pitches with bounce than on the slow, low wickets that you encounter in the subcontinent. "Rather than worry about seam or bounce I'd like to look at it this way. There are good wickets in South Africa. The pitches give you a chance to play your shots, the sort of shots you can't play on low and slow wickets. You can trust the bounce. On slow, low tracks your back-foot game is completely ruled out. Here you have more scoring options."

Chappell also did not agree that India's bad record in bilateral series in South Africa would have an impact on the team's performance. "History is going to make no difference on this tour," he said. "We hadn't won a Test series in West Indies in 35 years and recently we went there and won a Test series. How you play on the tour is important. It'll have nothing to do with what's happened in the past."

Dravid and Chappell were both happy that Anil Kumble and Zaheer Khan, two experienced campaigners, had returned to the squad. "Anil brings a lot of experience and his obvious skill as a cricketer," said Dravid. "But he also brings his personality to the mix and that's important to us as a team. We've always had Anil at the back of our minds. It was only a question of bringing him back at the right time and in the lead-up to the World Cup. I think this is the right time."

"I am impressed with what Zaheer has done," said Chappell. "He has worked on his fitness and form and made his way back into the team. We have the variety in the bowling that we need to give us a chance to win in all conditions."

Dravid also said that he expected the spinners to play a role even in conditions that may not be ideally suited to them. "From experience I know that we're not going to get square turners in South Africa. Having said that there's always a bit of bounce in the wickets and this helps both Kumble and Harbhajan, given the kind of bowlers they are. They're both quality spinners and can play a role on any kind of wickets."

Chappell and Dravid both said that the players had been given strict training routines to follow in the time since India were knocked out of the Champions Trophy after failing to reach the semifinals. The individuals also had a chance to go back to their homes and train with their domestic teams in the interim.