Shukri Conrad
Credit: PTI Photo
Kolkata: South Africa weren't given much of a chance in the first Test here against India despite contrasting fortunes the two teams have gone through in recent times. While India haven't had the best of time even in home conditions, 3-0 loss to New Zealand being their lowest point, the Proteas have been riding the crest of a wave of success.
They became only the third team after New Zealand and Australia to win the World Test Championship in June this year and managed to draw the two-Test series in Pakistan. Yet, South Africa considered themselves underdogs against Shubman Gill and Co.
With two and half days of the first Test in Eden Gardens in six years, they turned the predictions upside down, ending their 15-year long winless run on Indian soil.
Beating India in India was obviously special, but beating them in their own game -- through spinners -- was icing on the cake.
"I said it a few days ago, we won the World Test Championship final earlier in the year against Australia at Lord's but this was right up there for us," South Africa coach Shukri Conrad said after the Test. "Coming to India, playing at Eden Gardens, doing something we haven't done for 15 years, when I say we I talk of the Proteas, this is right up there."
Conrad felt the win will lift the morale of the team do wonders for its psyche.
"You can only but dream of coming here and I'm sure Simon (Harmer) mentioned a few things in the post-match as well, like the dark experience this team has had coming here and the psyche now is such that whilst we might not have the ability that a lot of teams have and we haven't untapped that ability yet, what we lack in that we certainly make up in the ability to play as a unit and the resilience that we show we the belief that they've got and how they pull together as a unit.
"It will do wonders for our psyche and it will do wonders for us going forward. We won a Test match in Pakistan, we've now won a Test match here (in India) but the job is far from done. You don't come to a country to win a Test match, you obviously want to win a series so I'm sure the boys will celebrate. We've got two extra days to recover so Guwahati will present its own challenges and I'm pretty certain and quietly confident that we'll be up to the task there as well."
Conrad was also happy to see his spinners orchestrating their win which signaled that they were no longer an exclusive "fast bowling country" and hoped that a lot more slow bowlers will emerge.
"We are thrilled that we can come here to the subcontinent with a quality pack of spinners. We were always found wanting when we came to the subcontinent. I think it was a mindset change as well, that you've got to start showing your belief in spin bowlers.
"I think it will do wonders for our game back home as well because youngsters can now see there's a line of thought that we're keen on spinners as well. It's not only a fast bowling country.”