It may be Christmas Eve but the Proteas were hard at work Durban on Friday in preparation for the second Test against India which starts on Boxing Day at Kingsmead.
Hashim Amla will be playing in his 50th Test match at his home ground and, while he is definitely looking forward to playing at home, he said he has prepared in exactly the same way as he would for any other Test.”
“I consider every Test match a special occasion so playing in my 50th Test doesn't make it any more important. The team comes first and I don'tt like statistics to be a distraction,” said the quietly-spoken batsman.
Amla has scored four consecutive hundreds against India but he has never scored a Test hundred at Kingsmead.
“I've made centuries all over the world but it would be lovely if I can do it in front of my home crowd.
“I am very fortunate to have learnt to play cricket on this wicket – although I'm not sure what it will do this week – but the boundaries are also smaller so it's a good opportunity to try and get another high score.
It's nothing personal against the Indian bowlers but I always just try to do my best.” India's premier fast bowler, Zaheer Khan, missed the first Test at Centurion as he had not fully recovered from a groin injury picked up against New Zealand, but he is fit for the Durban Test.
“If Zaheer is back, it will be a good challenge for our batsmen and we're looking forward to it but, we will prepare for him like we prepare for any other bowler.” He thought the South African bowlers were in particularly good shape as well as the batsmen and it helped him to come into bat when the openers had made a good start. A lot was said about the wicket at Centurion, but our bowlers were in good nick and so were our batsmen.
“Of course, it's always easier to come in when you have a good start on the board. The bowlers are a bit more tired and it gives you the freedom to play yourself in at your own pace.
“We're all feeling quite positive after such a lovely victory and we've all played together now for quite a number of years. Obviously, we've had our ups and downs but we've worked extremely hard, especially for this game, as we're taking nothing for granted.
“We want to keep things simple and everyone is highly motivated.
In Durban, India's support is substantial and the atmosphere may feel more like a home game for the visitors.
“India have had good support in Durban but when you go out in the middle, it's a different ball game. At the end of the day, it's the wicket that counts and both teams will have to adapt to it, as we'll both be up against the same thing.”
The last time the two sides met in a Boxing Day Test at Kingsmead was in 2006. South Africa won that game by 174 runs although they lost their last two outings at the ground against Australia and England last year. – Sapa