What Second of the two-Test series between South Africa and India When December 26-30, 2013 – 08:30 GMT (14:00 IST) Where The Kingsmead Stadium, Durban, South Africa The Teams India The draw in Johannesburg would have felt more like a win to Team India. Not only did they deny the world’s top-ranked team a win, they also dominated four out of five days of the Test match. While there will be a hint of disappointment for not converting that domination into a win, it wasn’t for the lack of effort. India’s fast bowlers showed tremendous heart, skill and discipline on a relatively slower Wanderers wicket. They bowled the right length and maintained a tight line. If the Kingsmead pitch lives up to its moniker of ‘Green Mamba’ one of Zaheer Khan’s responsibilities will be to ensure his young seam bowling colleagues do not get carried away by the juicy conditions, and stick to their gameplan. While there is little to worry about for India on the batting front, they will like a few runs from the bat of Shikhar Dhawan to put the Proteas speedsters on the backfoot. Despite its reputation to suit the faster bowlers, the spinners have done pretty well at Kingsmead. That will give R Ashwin something to look forward to, after going wicketless in the first Test despite bowling well. India, in all probability, will go with an unchanged XI. South Africa By not pressing for a win when needing 16 from three overs, the hosts sent out defensive signals to India, which are not quite befitting for the world’s best team. However, they have another chance to assert their supremacy at home in hopefully, more homely conditions. The concern facing the Proteas is a possible setback in form of Morne Morkel’s absence. Their tallest and fastest bowler is an extremely doubtful starter for Durban after he injured his ankle while fielding in the first Test. In case Morkel doesn’t play, it will be a challenge for either of Rory Kleinveldt or Kyle Abbott to step into his shoes. Another bowling concern for the hosts is the ineffectiveness of Imran Tahir against the spin-relishing Indian batsmen. In case they are pondering over going with an all-pace attack, their plans could be disturbed by Morkel’s condition. Key Players India The Indian batsmen thrived at the Wanderers due to their patience and readiness to leave the balls away from the body, while latching on to anything that was loose. They can expect the Proteas pacers to come back stronger, with a more potent plan in Durban. In that case, they will be forced to play more balls and induced to make mistakes. The Indians will have to guard against that because runs on board in tough conditions will be crucial for the bowlers to pull their weight in. South Africa Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander were the men at the crease who decided to settle for a draw at Wanderers. The unimpressed crowd was quick to boo the decision, which didn’t sit well with Steyn. The pair of world’s No. 1 and 2 ranked fast bowlers will be extremely motivated to bounce back from the emotional end to the first Test. An obvious change in their plan will be to bowl fuller and into the stumps.

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Test matches at Durban

India-South Africa Tests at Durban

Pace v Spin at Durban

Last 5 Tests

Trivia No subcontinent side has beaten South Africa in a Test series in South Africa. A win at Kingsmead and India will create history. Hashim Amla needs 47 runs to complete 6000 runs in Test cricket. He will be the quickest South African to reach this mark, beating Graeme Smith who needed 128 innings to do so. Ishant Sharma is one short of 150 wickets in Test cricket. He will become only the fourth Indian paceman to reach this milestone after Kapil Dev (434), Zaheer Khan (300) and Javagal Srinath (236). The Squads India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Capt/wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, R. Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Zaheer Khan, Ambati Rayudu, Umesh Yadav, Wriddhiman Saha, Ishant Sharma, Pragyan Ojha, Ravindra Jadeja. South Africa: Graeme Smith (capt), AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Dean Elgar, Imran Tahir, Jacques Kallis, Rory Kleinveldt, Morne Morkel, Alviro Petersen, Robin Peterson, Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn, Thami Tsolekile, Kyle Abbott.