Nagpur, March 11: Addressing the press ahead of the encounter against India, South Africa captain Graeme Smith said that he had worked on batting strategies to counter the threat posed by Indian pacer Zaheer Khan. Smith also believed that his team had the opportunity to shed the chokers’ tag in the remaining games of the 2011 ICC World Cup.

Excerpts from a media interaction.

On Imran Tahir’s availability for the game against India

It’s obviously a selection thing and we’ll decide that tonight, before tomorrow. He has bowled this week and come through that perfectly fine. Just whether we feel the need to risk him tomorrow or not, that’s something we’ll decide later.

On the importance of peaking at the right time

I think in sports today everyone is trying to work out what the right method is. Some teams seem to get it right and who knows what the reason is. But it is a bit weird that I’ve been in India for over a month and only played three games. It is pretty unusual with the current tour schedule that we have. But I think the good thing for us now is that we play a couple of games close together before the quarter-finals and hopefully that goes well and we qualify well for the quarter-finals and we are ready to go. We have an opportunity now with a game every three or four days to really build up some momentum which is something that is important for us. It has been a little bit stop-start with the long breaks so far.

On being Zaheer Khan’s bunny

Well there is no point hiding from it. He has been very successful against me and a number of other left-handers throughout his career. He is a quality bowler with the new ball and it’s going to be a challenge. I’ve worked on a few things with Duncan Fletcher, so hopefully it will pay off.

On the experiment of opening the bowling with a spinner

I think it’s been very successful for us so far. Everything we’ve tried seems to have worked on the bowling front. As a bowling unit we’ve been very strong in this tournament so far. And yes, our unpredictability is something that stands us in good stead. I think most people have felt through the past that we’ve been predictable and [known] what to expect from the South African team. But I think we are a lot more difficult to plan against now. I still think that whoever has the responsibility needs to commit a hundred percent and execute their skills well. And we’ve done that so far in our three games.

On whether the upcoming game was the biggest one of the tournament for South Africa

I wouldn’t say that. There is still a long way to go in this World Cup. Obviously I would reckon both teams really want to play well tomorrow. Certainly we do. But I don’t think it’s the be-all and the end-all of the World Cup with the result tomorrow. Obviously that will come with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final - that is the important phase of the World Cup. Right now, this part is about qualifying and having confidence going into the knock-out phases. So tomorrow is obviously an important game for both teams in terms of the confidence and in terms of playing well.

On the effect of the loss against England on the team

The spirit around the group is still terrific. And I think if you can keep that and learn some important lessons [it would be good]. I don’t think our middle-order is going to encounter as challenging a wicket as that [MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai]. Maybe something similar through the tournament but I don’t think it’s going to get worse for them than that. I think the lessons they will take out from that game will be important and hopefully they will do that in this game and get some confidence. And hopefully the top order can keep laying good platforms for them.

On the perception of South Africa choking under pressure

To be honest with you there is no point of us trying to hide from that perception. Our job, the current group of players, is to challenge that perception and to put it right. Our past is our past and we can’t hide from it. We haven’t won a World Cup or won a tournament of note since, I think, the Champions Trophy [1998]. So there is no point hiding away from it. We have the opportunity now, tomorrow, the next day to be the current crop of players that can challenge that perception and hopefully we do.

On AB de Villiers’ back injury

He is recovering decently. Obviously, we’ll look at that and at the selection of the team and then decide which way we want to go with that.