(MENAFN- AsiaNet News) South Africa's head coach, Shukri Conrad, has described the upcoming two Tests in India as the "biggest challenge", ranking the series alongside the World Test Championship final against Australia. South Africa, the World Test champions, will engage in an enticing battle with India on Friday, as Test cricket returns to Eden Gardens after six years. Conrad emphasised the intricate task that lies ahead of them by drawing a stark comparison between their WTC victory over Australia and the two Tests in India.

"Look, India, a tough challenge anywhere in the world, and when you come to an iconic venue like Eden Gardens, it just makes it even tougher. I don't think you can compare the quality of the sides we played against. India, in India, and this will be our biggest challenge, certainly in my 20th match," Conrad said while speaking to reporters on Wednesday. "I don't think there's been a bigger challenge. Yes, we had the final against Australia that we won, which was massive. I compare this series and this match to that final. That's how big it is for us," Conrad added.

Proteas' Preparation in Pakistan

Before heading to India, the Proteas toured Pakistan and managed a 1-1 Test series draw on the rank-turners of Gaddafi and Rawalpindi. South Africa's spin troika, Simon Harmer (13 wickets in two Tests), Senuram Muthuswamy (11 in two Tests) and Keshav Maharaj (9 in one Test), bamboozled Pakistan batters with their ball-tweaking skills to make a strong impression before touring India.

Facing India's Spin and Gaining Confidence

The surface of the famed Eden Gardens is expected to come in the assistance of pacers and spinners. With India possessing Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar, South Africa's quest will be much more difficult. Conrad believes the Proteas' batting unit's familiarity with sub-continent conditions and the depth of their spin attack should be enough to trouble India's star-studded lineup.

"Yes, I think it gives us a lot of confidence. I think previously, and this is not saying that we didn't have good spinners in the past, but certainly we think we've got a better pack of spinners now in, obviously, Keshav, Simon and Sen. So I think it gives us a lot of confidence that if the conditions are what the gentleman in the previous question thinks it's going to be, that we feel that we've got the armoury to obviously challenge India in that respect as well," Conrad said.

IPL Experience a Key Factor

"You come to India and as a newbie and not having experienced India before, you can be at awe, you can be taken aback by the occasion, but I think because our guys are comfortable in the environment, they're comfortable with the opposition, they play against because of their involvement in the IPL. I certainly believe that it does make it slightly easier for us to adapt to conditions. It's not foreign to a lot of these guys and certainly the opposition aren't foreign. So yes, I'm expecting an evenly fought contest. Still going to be a hell of a difficult, but we're quietly confident that we can make history of our own here in Eden Gardens and in India," Conrad added.

Squads

India's Test squad:

Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (WK) (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep

South Africa squad:

Temba Bavuma (C), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Zubayr Hamza, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs and Kyle Verreynne. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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