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FREEDOM AT STAKE: India captain Virat Kohli and South African counterpart Faf du Plessis with the Freedom Trophy at

Newlands Stadium

in Cape Town on Wednesday

HANDLING PRESSURE

KOOKABURRA AND CONDITIONS

MANAGING WORKLOAD

BIGGEST CHALLENGE

ON THE OTHER PACERS….

UMESH YADAV

ISHANT SHARMA

MOHD SHAMI

JASPRIT BUMRAH

HARDIK

PANDYA

When the Indian cricket team, led by Mohammad Azharuddin , made its maiden voyage to South Africa a little over 25 years ago, they created history. Not by winning, but simply by being there. They were the first team to visit South Africa post-apartheid.India have never won a series in South Africa since and, when Virat Kohli and his men begin their tour with the first of three Tests on Friday, they will seek a date with history again, but this time on an equal footing. They will be aiming to become the first Indian side to win a Test series in the southern African country.There is reason for optimism this time around, not just because the Indians are in the midst of a phenomenal winning run, but also because experts reckon Kohli has the bowlers to take the fight to South Africa. Former pace ace Javagal Srinath , who was part of the Indian squad during the historic tour under Azharuddin, is one of them. The 'Mysore Express' believes India's bowling attack has plenty in its armoury. The key man, he says, will be right-arm pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar ."This is the best fast bowling combination in India at the moment," said Srinath, who collected 43 wickets in the eight Test matches he played in South Africa. "I go by what I've seen in the last one-and-ahalf years. I strongly feel Bhuvneshwar will be the strike bowler - or at least he should be treated like one. He should be used economically and in short spells. Over the past few months, he has been outstanding. He has added a couple of yards of pace and has been moving the ball with greater control.". (AFP Photo)Likening Bhuvneshwar to Terry Alderman, the former Australian pacer who swung the ball and was accurate, Srinath said, "Bhuvneshwar swings the ball both ways and at alarming pace. With the kind of pace he has been displaying, he can be a great asset for the team on South African wickets which usually have bounce and carry." Srinath insisted that conserving and supporting Bhuvneshwar was crucial. "The team management has to take care of him and ensure he lasts the series," the former fast bowler said. "He should not be used as second fiddle, where he is made to bowl donkeys overs and is tired by the second or the third Test match. He should be well-supported by the others."Srinath, now an ICC match referee, believes Kohli's team is different from teams of the past in another respect. He does not subscribe to the theory that the current crop of players succumbs to pressure."When it comes to handling pressure, I think, the IPL has fasttracked players," the 48-year-old said. "In the IPL, they always play under pressure and players tend to learn more when under pressure. In that sense, I think they are all experts in handling pressure."Players, including Bhuvneshwar, have spoken about adapting to the red Kookaburra ball and Srinath feels the sooner the bowlers adapt, the better it would be for them."The bowlers are champions with the white Kookaburra ball, but the red ball is very different," he said. "They have to get used to it as soon as possible. Winning these Test matches will depend a lot on how quickly they get used to the ball and how well they read local conditions. There has to be a minor adjustment in the way they pitch the ball."Srinath stressed that bowlers would have to toil hard across venues and surfaces. "The advent of T20 has changed wickets worldwide, so I don't think we will get wickets like we used to 15 years ago. Most wickets are batting-friendly these days. This means more work for the bowlers. If you are able to get 20 wickets in a Test match, it means the workload on the bowlers has increased 100%. That's why you cannot afford to make too many mistakes with line and length."Srinath, who overcame a career-threatening rotator-cuff injury in 1997, suggests that while managing the workload is important, bowlers will have to play more. "The more you play, the better you become," he said. "That can also be construed as, the more you play, the more likelihood of injury. That's a very negative line of thinking. As a bowler, the more you bowl, the better you become. Of course the body needs a break, that's when they rotate the workload. We have a good group of fast bowlers who can be rotated effectively."Refusing to generalise South African conditions, Srinath pointed out, "Adaptability is key. I think each wicket is different and we cannot generalise conditions. What matters will be the tactical adaptability to a particular pitch and during various sessions during a day."For raw pace, you have Umesh. He can be good with both the new and the old ball if he gets the line and length right. He can reverse the ball well in South Africa when the conditions are dry. Swing in the air and movement off the seam will be the differentiator in this series.Ishant has been a little enigmatic with his consistency, but this is an opportunity to prove himself. Clearly, the captain has a lot of confidence and belief in him. That should really spur him. Ishant should work on his experience and put a bowling strategy in place.He is a steady bowler who skids the ball well.I think he is a unique bowler. His competence stems from his deceptive action. Apart from that, he is a very intelligent bowler. Playing T20 under pressure at an early stage in his career has ensured he has blossomed early. These are the young fast bowlers who have to stand up and deliver.He has really been an asset. If India wants to go in with five bowlers, he walks in as a bowler. That gives tremendous respite to the mainstay fast bowlers who hunt in pairs. He brings with him the option of playing four fast bowlers. If that happens, then the bowling can be rotated beautifully.