Watch out for the evening breeze at Durban

Praveen Amre is the only Indian batsman to score a Test century at Durban. He spoke to DNA about condition in Durban and a little advice for Indian team.

When I think about the conditions in Durban, the late West Indian fast bowler Malcolm Marshall’s words come to my mind. He played for Natal and would say: “Kingsmead is a good wicket in the day time. The good time for the bowlers is post-tea as the sea breeze starts blowing and the ball starts to swing”.

Our bowlers will also enjoy bowling there. In the morning, the freshness of the wicket and in the evening the sea breeze will help bowlers.

The best time to bat is between the lunch and tea. The challenge is to adjust your game according to the bounce. It is good that India is playing their second game of the tour at Durban. They also have an advantage that they played on a similar bouncy wicket at Centurion.

The scoring opportunities are limited and it is important for the batsmen to capitalise on the loose balls as 60 per cent of the balls will be at good length or short. The cut shots are rewarding strokes there as you will hardly get to drive.

India’s confidence will receive a massive boost after scoring 450 plus in their second innings of the first Test. Sachin Tendulkar demonstrated how it has to be done with a gutsy century.

Patience is the key. It is important to stay positive and the Indian batsmen made a statement that they are no pushovers by fighting it out. Normally, Durban used to be the venue of the first Test of the series (except for 2006, the first Test in the previous two series was at Kingsmead).

This time it’s the second game so they will be better used to the wicket. The South Africa attack is of high-quality. Dale Steyn is one of the best in the world. The way he bowls the last spell of the day, generating the same pace as in his first spell, makes him a very lethal customer.

India have an experienced batting line-up to handle the SA attack. Sehwag’s innings is going to be crucial. The benefits of a good start are not lost on anyone and with Sehwag, he can just demoralise the attack. It’s going to be about partnerships.

I remember in my debut Test, we were in trouble at 38 for four when I came in to bat. My mind was focused on batting through the innings and having a partnership with Kiran More was invaluable. It helped us draw the Test (the only game India has not lost at the venue).