Batting first will still be the way to go: Piet Botha

A buoyant South Africa is leaving no stone unturned as it looks to a historic Test series win on Indian soil after 25 years. With the match set to start earlier at 9 a.m., given Guwahati’s location in India’s North-East, Proteas bowling coach Piet Botha said the players are adapting well to the new challenge.

Meanwhile, pacer Lungi Ngidi, who has joined the squad as a cover for the injured Kagiso Rabada, trained on Thursday.

“Rabada is still under observation by the medical staff. He obviously hasn’t practised today. We will take a call in the next 24 hours,” said Botha.

When asked if the team will be tempted to maximise the early start and chilly conditions that could help the pacers, Botha felt that batting first will still be the way to go.

“I think, in the first hour, the new ball should play a role. For how long, we’re not sure. But generally, over a five-day Test match, you would tend to want to bat first and try to get runs on the board. But as India mentioned, if the ball starts spinning from day one, sometimes it (toss) doesn’t really play a role because it becomes a low-scoring game like the last one.”

“But if the pitch is going to play decently the first two days, then you obviously want to bat first,” he added.