It is clear that on this crucial tour of India, Graeme Smith wants his focus firmly on the team's goal. At the same time, he doesn't want
his vision to get blurred by the thoughts of glory that will come his way if he triumphs.
So it wasn't surprising to see the South African skipper talking about taking away the No. 1 mantle from India in one breath while in the next saying that ranking was not really an issue. After all with the series being billed as the fight for World Test championship, Smith wants to protect his team from getting swayed by the hype.
"There has been a lot of build-up to these Tests, lot of hype. India now holds the mantle of being the no. 1 in the world and it's a credit to the way they have played. But we have come here to play better than them and hopefully take that away from them. So that's something that we are excited about and it's good for the game," Smith told the media on Monday.
Having said that, he stressed that his team was not bothered about the numero uno status. "We have come over to India to play good cricket, focus on our own game. We know if we can perform to our levels and our standards then we will be able put India under a lot of pressure."
With Rahul Dravid being ruled for two weeks due to a broken jaw, Smith felt it would to hurt India. "They have got quality players still there. But to lose a player like Dravid... it is very difficult to replace a player like that."
Smith also made no bones about the fact that hosts India would start favourites in the two-Test series. "Any time you come to India, it's always tough."
Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/south-africa-in-india-2010/top-stories/Its-a-battle-for-the-top-Test-slot/articleshow/5525896.cms
his vision to get blurred by the thoughts of glory that will come his way if he triumphs.
So it wasn't surprising to see the South African skipper talking about taking away the No. 1 mantle from India in one breath while in the next saying that ranking was not really an issue. After all with the series being billed as the fight for World Test championship, Smith wants to protect his team from getting swayed by the hype.
"There has been a lot of build-up to these Tests, lot of hype. India now holds the mantle of being the no. 1 in the world and it's a credit to the way they have played. But we have come here to play better than them and hopefully take that away from them. So that's something that we are excited about and it's good for the game," Smith told the media on Monday.
Having said that, he stressed that his team was not bothered about the numero uno status. "We have come over to India to play good cricket, focus on our own game. We know if we can perform to our levels and our standards then we will be able put India under a lot of pressure."
With Rahul Dravid being ruled for two weeks due to a broken jaw, Smith felt it would to hurt India. "They have got quality players still there. But to lose a player like Dravid... it is very difficult to replace a player like that."
Smith also made no bones about the fact that hosts India would start favourites in the two-Test series. "Any time you come to India, it's always tough."
Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/south-africa-in-india-2010/top-stories/Its-a-battle-for-the-top-Test-slot/articleshow/5525896.cms
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