The highly-anticipated two-match Test series between India and South Africa is all set to get underway on December 26 at SuperSport Park in Centurion.
Ahead of the red-ball series, India head coach Rahul Dravid has backed the touring side to find success on South African soil this time around.
Notably, India are yet to win a Test series in South Africa. The best result for the visiting Indian team in the rainbow nation so far is 1-1 draw during the 2010-11 tour.
While Dravid conceded that South Africa has been one of the toughest places for India to tour, he added that it's not impossible to have a good outing here.
"Statistically it has been one of the toughest countries but we've also put in some good batting performances. It's not that it's been impossible to play here, or difficult to play here. One of the things is that the bounce tends to be more variable than other places. They might not have as much swing as in England, some of the wickets may not have the pace as you have in Australia but it can all be uneven as the game goes on," Dravid said in a press conference on Sunday (December 24).
"It has proved to be a challenge for the Indian batters over the years but we've also had some good knocks as well. If we play well, we have the experience to do well," he added.
In the pre-match presser, the head coach also confirmed that KL Rahul will play as a wicketkeeper-batter during the Test series against South Africa.
"It's an exciting challenge. It's an opportunity for him to do something different. With Ishan unavailable, we had a couple of keepers to choose from. Rahul is very confident about giving it a go. We understand that he hasn't done that quite often (in longest format), but he has done it in fifty overs, and even that is tough,” Dravid told reporters.
“He has done a lot of keeping in the past five-six months. One of the things here is that there is more pace bowling than spin, which will ease him into the role. We will see how it goes. It is nice to have someone like him, someone who has the ability with the bat and keep,” he further stated.
