SA vs IND 2018: Centurion pitch will be better for batsmen, says Markram

Playing against India is different from playing the minnows, said Markram.

Markram has had a promising start to his Test career. (Citizen)

After batsmen from both teams failed to perform in tough conditions in Cape Town, South African top order batsman Aiden Markram hopes for a better batting pitch at Centurion. 

"Generally, it's a good batting wicket here although I am not sure how they have prepared it this time. But there have been a lot of high scores here. I would like to think it will be a good wicket. I am pretty sure it will be similar to last week (Cape Town), maybe not as extreme," Markram said on Thursday.

"It is incredibly exciting to play here because it is a place where I grew up watching and playing cricket. It's a wicket where if you set yourself up as a batsman there are runs to be had.

"But as a bowler, with the pace and bounce, you always have a shout as well. It's going to be an exciting match," he added.

Markram admitted that playing India was completely different from being pitted against minnows like Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

"Playing against India is a massive step up (as compared to Bangladesh and Zimbabwe). It was a massive step up. There's a reason why they are the No 1 team in the world - they have quality players in all departments.

"They tick all the boxes and they have come here to compete, which is great. For me as a young guy, it is awesome. Every day you are learning something new, and to be exposed to challenges like that is great. You learn your best lessons at this level. So it was valuable and going into this Test it’s something I'll be more aware of," he added.

Praising the Protean bowlers for their effort in Cape Town Markram said that he is looking forward to a repeat performance from them in Centurion especially with the bounce that the pitch will generate. 

He concluded by having a word on Kagiso Rabada who recently topped the ICC Test bowlers rankings. "KG (Rabada) has fitted (taken) like a duck to water in international cricket. He's put his hand up for the side and he almost sees his role as a senior one even though he is so young"

"He has adopted a great mindset. He is obviously a very competitive guy. He has got a lot of x-factor about him and what's lovely is he likes to compete with batsmen - he never likes a batsman to get up on him. It's a great trait for him to have," concluded Markram.

 
 

By Anshuman Roy - 12 Jan, 2018

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