South Africa captain Faf du Plessis gave a surprise spin warning ahead of its first ever Twenty20 in India on Friday.
South African Twenty20 cricket team captain, Faf du Plessis gestures during a press conference in New Delhi, India, Monday, Sept. 28, 2015. South Africa will play three Twenty20 internationals, five one-day internationals and four Tests during their 72-day tour of India. (AP Photo/Tsering Topgyal)
“I suppose they know we’ve got spinners who can win us games,” du Plessis said about the Imran Tahir-led spin attack on Thursday. “Imran has changed the way we play in the white-ball format. We’ve always relied on pace, but now our success in one-dayers and T20s is heavily on his shoulders.”
The spinners have come to prominence since pace bowlers Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel are being rested for the three T20s, though they will figure in the five one-day internationals and four tests to follow.
“Imran is No. 2 in the world in ODIs,” he said. “(JP) Duminy has also had success in T20 cricket. He gets wickets all the time. Then we have a young spinner in Eddie Leie, almost tapping into Imran’s knowledge.”
Du Plessis, who along with ODI captain AB de Villiers, Tahir, Albie Morkel and Duminy, has featured regularly in the Indian Premier League, feels the experience of playing in that will help, too.
“IPL has changed the way cricket is played. There is aggression, and I have taken a lot from IPL, batting against the best spinners in the world,” du Plessis added.
South Africa lost to India in the semifinals of last year’s World Twenty20 in Bangladesh but the home side has played only three T20s since losing in the final to Sri Lanka. India’s last T20 was a three-run loss to England at Birmingham in August 2014.
But India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said the gap did not matter much since Indian players get a lot of T20 games in the IPL.
“That’s how the international schedule is,” Dhoni said. “Not many T20 games, mostly it is from World T20 to World T20. That has been the case, but the good thing is we play the IPL and play a lot of T20 matches together.”
Dhoni also said he was not looking at this series as preparation for the next World T20.
“It’s too early to speak about the World T20. This can provide some momentum, and is a chance to give opportunities. We can rotate batsmen so as to prepare them for big tournaments. But I don’t think these three games will have much of an impact.”
The South Africans, who lost a practice T20 game against an India A side on Tuesday, have a 2-6 win-loss record against India in T20s.
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