Vernon Philander fires warning at India’s batsmen ahead of Cape Town Test

Vernon Philander has warned Indian cricket team batsmen that it will be a ‘different ball game’ in South Africa than the conditions in the subcontinent

South Africa seamer Vernon Philander has thrown down the gauntlet at India’s batsmen, teasing them to justify their tag of playing fast bowlers better nowadays. The seamer said conditions will be different and though it won’t be easy to blast India away, the pitch may help.

Vernon Philander will hope to exploit the familiar conditions of Cape Town in the opening Test between South Africa and India from Friday. (AFP)

“They have played most of their games at home so it’ll be interesting to see how they go in South Africa. It’s a total different ball game. We’re going to have to wait and see once they pass the first Test match,” said Philander at the media interaction here on Wednesday.

The local boy in this team, Philander, however, thinks this isn’t the greenest pitch to be dished out to India for the New Year’s Test, on Friday. “No, I wouldn’t say it’s greener. I have played all my life here. I’ve seen a lot of similar wickets and they haven’t done much. Obviously there’s a little bit of grass there but I don’t think it’s going to scare anyone,” he said.

“There’s a little bit of grass. The day is obviously hot. Tomorrow is hot. I think by the time the Test match starts, it’ll be little drier. The wicket changes quite quickly here. It depends on the type of wind that blows here as well. By Friday morning, it’ll be a total different looking wicket.”

India had welcomed South Africa with turners in 2015, sending them crashing to a 3-0 defeat. This series is being touted as some sort of revenge and the focus is obviously on leaving some ‘juice’ in the pitch. But Philander doesn’t want to make it all about the pitch.

“Look I think if we want to play best cricket we have to go to do that in every series we participate in. 2015 was obviously disappointing one losing (to) them (India). But look, at the end of the day we want to make sure we play our best cricket, and obviously being at home we want to make sure we deliver,” he said.

Asked whether he had any specific bowling plans, especially for India captain Virat Kohli, Philander said, “We are going to play bat and ball and not playing any names. We got to get Virat as to other nine Indian batsmen as well. I think we put our price obviously on bowling them out twice.”