Conrad and South Africa not resting on their laurels after Kolkata victory as they target famous series win.
‘Job’s far from done’ – Conrad and South Africa eye series win.
After winning their first Test in India in fifteen years, South Africa has once again demonstrated to themselves that they can “mix it with the best” in circumstances that they described as offering “a different experience” from what they are accustomed to.
Shukri Conrad, the coach of South Africa, was careful to emphasise that he doesn’t “have a problem with wickets like this” and instead chose to concentrate on the significance of having defeated both the opposition and the surface.
“There was prodigious turn, and the Indian quartet of spinners just don’t give you anything. You throw Jasprit [Bumrah] in there with a new ball and when it starts reverse-swinging, both him and [Mohammed] Siraj are obviously world-class,” Conrad said at the post-match press conference. “It makes our victory even sweeter that we were able to contend with all of that and come out on top. It gives you a belief that you can mix it with the best and do special things.”
It may seem odd that South Africa, the current World Test Champions, feel the need to explain their accomplishments or justify their skills, but this is because they are not viewed in the same light as other successful teams on the circuit. neither by themselves nor by anybody else.
Even though Temba Bavuma averages above 50 as captain, Joe Root, Steven Smith, and Shubman Gill are frequently included when discussing the top Test hitters. Bumrah and Pat Cummins are typically at the forefront of conversations about bowlers, while Kagiso Rabada does occasionally come up.
What about the spinners in South Africa? They don’t have the same level of success constancy as Nathan Lyon, which is why no one would ever mention them in the same sentence.
There is also the fact that a competition involving South Africa receives less media attention than the Ashes, Border-Gavaskar, and Anderson-Tendulkar trophies. South Africa may remain on the outside, noses pressed against the window, for as long as the Big Three are there, but they are now making a lasting impression.
Conrad has also achieved a number of firsts. Conrad oversaw South Africa’s first series victory in the subcontinent in ten years (in Bangladesh last year), and he currently oversees their first victories in Pakistan and India in eighteen and fifteen years, respectively, which he values as highly as their victory over Australia in the World Test Championship final at Lord’s.
“This was right up there for us. Coming to India, playing at Eden Gardens, doing something we haven’t done for 15 years, this is right up there,” Conrad said. “We won a Test match in Pakistan, we’ve now won a Test match here but the job’s far from done. You don’t come to a country to win a Test match, you obviously want to win the series.”