'Watched a lot of videos, we're better prepared' - KL Rahul backs India to ace South Africa challenge

India is all set to lock horns with South Africa for three Tests and as many ODIs starting from December 26. Ahead of the series, India’s opening batter KL Rahul has reckoned that the team is better prepared for the challenge this time around.

India hasn’t won a Test series in South Africa yet. However, the team’s recent performances on the overseas tour have made them the favorites to dominate the proceedings in the Test series. Rahul stated that the team is well prepared and that he hopes alongside Mayank Agarwal he can provide a good start to the team.

“In a foreign series, getting the team off to a good start is the most important thing as a batsman. The last time I came here was 3-4 years ago, and it was my first tour to South Africa, so I didn’t really know what to expect and how to handle these conditions. But this time around, having played two Test matches here before and having watched a lot of videos of how the conditions are here, we are slightly better prepared.

“And we’ve had a great preparation going into the Test match, so really excited about 26th and hopefully I and Mayank can get our team off to a good start and try and win the game for our team,” KL Rahul said during a pre-series press conference.

The pitches can be a little bit challenging: KL Rahul

The last time India traveled to South Africa they had lost the Test series but had registered an impressive win in the final Test in Johannesburg. From that series to now, KL Rahul has walked a long path and has become one of the pivotal cogs of team India’s wheel.

He reckoned that though he hasn’t played many matches here according to his experience he feels that the conditions can get challenging. Rahul further added that India is all raring to take up the challenge against the Proteas.

“I haven’t played a lot of games here in South Africa, but from my experience, I think sometimes the pitches can be a little bit challenging because of the tennis-ball bounce and we played in Australia where the pitches are fast and bouncy. But here, can be a bit spongy in the first couple of days, and then it starts to quicken up.

So when I played the last time, each time the wicket was a bit difficult and you had to understand and adjust according to that. So that becomes a huge challenge for both batters and bowlers. We are really looking forward to this series because South Africa is an exciting place to play cricket, comes with a lot of challenges, so we are all looking forward to the challenge,” he added.