Proteas take confidence from Pakistan Tests, says Ryan Rickelton ahead of India series

Proteas Test batter Ryan Rickelton says he will draw confidence from his performances in the recently concluded Test series against Pakistan as South Africa prepare for an altogether different challenge in India next week.

Rickelton impressed in Pakistan, scoring 71 and an unbeaten 45 in the first Test in Lahore, followed by 14 and 25 not out in the second Test in Rawalpindi, as the two-match series ended level at 1-1.

The 29-year-old reaffirmed his reputation as one of the Proteas’ better players of spin, and he told Independent Newspapers that those hard-earned runs will serve him well as the team departs for India on Sunday.

Rickelton admitted the Pakistan series was a reminder that Test cricket in the subcontinent is always a battle of attrition.

“I actually felt pretty good. It’s dirty cricket. It’s tough. You find ways to go about it, and it’s a bit like youngsters’ cricket — guys catching around the bat,” Rickelton said. “But it was fun just to test my skills and my defence against it.”

“I’ve always tried to pride myself on being a good player of spin. To get something like that 71 is extremely rewarding, sometimes even more so because it’s in foreign conditions. I would have loved to turn that 70 into 100, and maybe kick that 40 into a big 50 or 100 in the second innings. But I can take a lot of confidence out of those two Tests.”

With Pakistan behind them, the Proteas now turn their attention to India, ranked fourth in the world and widely regarded as one of the toughest places to win. Rickelton knows the challenge will be completely different — and possibly even tougher — than what they faced in Lahore and Rawalpindi.

However, with New Zealand having stunned India 3-0 in a home series last year, South Africa will take encouragement that success in the subcontinent is possible.

Rickelton admitted uncertainty about what conditions await them, especially after India’s spin-friendly wickets backfired in that series.

“It will be a completely different challenge. It will be a difficult challenge,” he said. “We’re not sure exactly what conditions we’re going to get. When India went spin-heavy against New Zealand, it kind of failed for them.

“They’ve got great quicks, good spinners and many quality batters. So we’ll be interested to see what kind of conditions they throw at us. But we’ve prepared from a spin department point of view, and I think guys individually can take confidence out of Pakistan — that’s really as tough as it gets conditions-wise.”

Rickelton said the Proteas’ key to success would be starting well and maintaining composure in tough situations.

“We’ve got to start well. The lessons from playing in the subcontinent are that you’re never actually quite out of it. Every small moment matters a lot in those difficult conditions,” he explained. “Winning those small moments, really having that scrap — that’s what counts.

“As a team, we grouped well in Pakistan. The collective effort was always there. We’re going to take that fight and carry it into the first Test.”

South Africa’s two-match Test series against India begins on 14 November at Eden Gardens, with the second Test taking place from 22–26 November in Guwahati.