Lanky South African pacer Morne Morkel warns India of 'tough conditions'

The upcoming tour of South Africa will be a challenging one as the Indian team has never succeeded in winning a Test series in the rainbow nation. And in a bid to raise the ante South Africa paceman Morne Morkel has spoken about the “tough” conditions which will be there in the upcoming three-Test series against India.

He also praised “strong” Dale Steyn as a warning to rival batsmen. Morkel too enjoyed a nice form with a five-wicket haul against Zimbabwe in the recently-concluded day-night Test in Port Elizabeth. Steyn, 34, suffered a broken shoulder playing against Australia in Perth some 13 months back. He started playing again only in November after a long sabbatical. He has shown impressive form in four T20 matches he played for Titans, taking six wickets at an average of 13.50 and conceding only 5.78 runs an over.

Speaking about compatriot Steyn, Morkel said as per quotes on Cricbuzz, “(Dale) has been bowling exceptionally well in the nets. He looks strong, he is very fit, and I reckon he would have been a handful on this wicket. It’s another week for him to freshen up. It’s a big-time ahead now. For me, it was nice to get wickets under my name so when it comes to selection, for guys to maybe think about me.”

India needs to be wary of pace-friendly conditions

During the recently concluded home series against Sri Lanka, which India eventually won across all formats, the hosts appeared to be struggling in pace-friendly conditions in Kolkata and Dharamsala. The stint was enough for cricket pundits to raise eyebrows over India’s readiness to play in foreign conditions in the new year, which will see them touring South Africa, England, and Australia.

The Indian team has already reached Cape Town. However, they’ll go into the first Test, without playing any practice games in the Protean conditions. The opening match between the sides will be played in Newlands, Cape Town from January 5, 2018.

Don’t miss any news in and around ‘cricket‘, stay updated with CricTracker.com