Tags:
Journalism of Courage
India coach Gary Kirsten insisted India would do all they can to win the first Test against South Africa despite being well behind the eight-ball after Hashim Amlas marathon double ton put the visitors on top at the Vidarbha Cricket Association ground in Nagpur.
Speaking at the end of the second days play,Kirsten said,We will do all we can to go for a win. We need to bat really well tomorrow,put up some big scores on the board and we know we are capable of doing that.
Kirsten had words of praise for Amla,who he said had come a long way since the last time he toured India. The way he has developed his game has been fantastic. People wrote him off early on but the tough character he is,he has proved everyone wrong. He is going to score a lot of runs for South Africa in very important situations.
Amla agreed that fortune played a part in his effort. There were a few tough parts: the reverse swing and facing the spinners. Mishra beat the bat many,many times but,in a way,you dont look back and sigh. I was fortuitous as a few chances went my way but that happens especially if you are scoring a double hundred.
Amla admitted that it wasnt an easy pitch to bat on,and that things would get harder as the game wore on. There was a time when myself and AB (de Villiers) were batting where we couldnt score quicker because it is not easy for the new guy to come in and start playing his shots. It was the same case with Bouchy (Mark Boucher) who took a bit of time to get in. We would have loved to up the scoring rate but I dont think the game allowed us to do that.
