Dale Steyn: Current Indian team don’t have anybody like Virender Sehwag
South African bowling spearhead Dale Steyn said current Indian batting line-up is formidable but Virender Sehwag, who recently retired from international cricket, was a nightmare.
Steyn, whose lethal pace is intimidating for batsmen across the world, admitted that he found it tough whenever he faced the former Indian opener.
“In the past times that I have played here, I have bowled against guys like Virender Sehwag, that guy was a nightmare. He scored 300 in Chennai and if you missed him by a small margin, he would smoke you out,” the 32-year-old said in a press conference ahead of the Test series against India starting November 5 in Mohali.
Steyn said the current Indian team is packed with utility players “but not someone like Sehwag who would blaze right from word go.”
Virender Sehwag has recently taken a call on his international career after being not considered for the last two years since he was dropped from the team in the home series against Australia in 2013 after Hyderabad Test.
Sehwag said he wanted to play the farewell match in his home ground at Feroz Shah Kotla ground, Delhi. But, as he was not considered for the first two Tests by the Selection Committee he decided to hang his boot in order to join All-Stars T20 league in the USA jointly conducted by Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar and Australian spin great Shane Warne.
Speaking about the Test series against India after winning the ODI series for the first time on Indian soil South Africa now have a psychological edge over India as the Test series start on November 5. South Africa have not lost a single series on foreign soil since 2006. So, nevertheless Virat Kohli lead India will find it difficult to beat them at the home soil.
Steyn apparently said that they have a clear strategy for each of the Indian players.
“…It’s not rocket science, if you have got a guy like Sachin (Tendulkar) and you bowl a top of stump to him, he will hit you through the point, when you bowl it to Murali Vijay, he will probably hit you through the covers, so it’s important to know where you want the fielder to be positioned. The delivery stays the same, but the batsman’s shots will change,” he explained.
“So, it’s about getting into his head a little bit and looking into his last 10 dismissals. Position a fielder there and if he gets out in a similar fashion, maybe laugh at him too.. Its not rocket science,” Steyn said.
“I don’t think we are favourites, we are playing in India’s back garden. It’s going to be extremely difficult. I think we are coming to this series with a lot of expectations after winning the T20s and the ODIs, so we’ve got confidence on our side and ideally we would like to win, that’s what we are here for,” he asserted.
“I personally enjoy the Tests more than anything else and we’ve come up with some good game plans. We have got a great bowling attack and we have got a fantastic batting line-up. We are up for the challenge, that’s for sure,” Steyn added.
Asked what does it take for overseas fast bowlers to do well in India, Steyn replied, “I think pace through the air is really important. With the wickets here on the slow side, anything from 135 (kmph) down, batters are able to make the adjustment when the ball hits the deck.
“It’s the guys that bowl 145 (kmph) plus who really push batters, it gives them a lot less time to adjust..control is another thing, you’ve got to land the new ball in the right areas.”
Steyn said the subcontinent pitches are unresponsive to the pacer.
“It is really tough, I am not going to lie about that. It doesn’t get easier every year. But I love bowling in India, the grounds are quite flat whereas in South Africa you feel you are running uphill. So here you feel you are running downhill all day long. Even if the wickets are not offering you a lot, like pace and carry, but your run up always feels smooth.”
However, when Steyn was asked whether South Africa have any specific plan for Indian captain Virat Kohli, he said, “I am not going to tell you because then he is going to know about it. Yes, we have (a plan for him).”
Meanwhile, Steyn praised his Test skipper Hashim Amla, describing him as an unassuming aggressor.
“Hash (Hashim Amla) can be quite a deceiving guy, he is calm and composed, but he goes for the kill, he definitely knows how to go for the kill. I mean if you look at his stats as a player, remarkable stats he has, if you look at him as a person, you would just never think those stats are capable of person someone like that,” he said.