Knife-edge Newlands Test

It is not so much their most recent past, as the preceding body of work, that Proteas captain Graeme Smith hopes will be his team's guiding light against India in the third and deciding Test at Newlands today.

The teams go into the decider with a win each and though India displayed great resolve to hit back in Durban in the last Test, Smith is hoping his team can reproduce the form that has stood the test of time against almost all the Proteas' opposition at Newlands.

Australia is the only opponent to have beaten the Proteas at the ground since readmission but India will claim to have taken possession of the series' momentum after their triumph in Durban.

"We know what we are capable of. We produced it a lot. We know the wicket well and will probably have more bounce and carry than some of the other Newlands wickets we've played on.

"The pressure will be on both teams to perform in a tense Test match," Smith said.

"It is nothing we haven't faced before. We came here one-nil down against England and played well and played well at the Wanderers after that.

"As a team the confidence base runs deep. It doesn't erode after just one game," Smith pointed out.

While acknowledging the thrust momentum provides, India captain MS Dhoni said more benefits are to be derived from a positive start. "If momentum was so important you'd never see sides losing Test matches after winning one.

"I always say the Indian team never plays without pressure. We take that pressure as an added responsibility," said Dhoni.

Though his side has performed with a large degree of consistency over the past few seasons, Smith admitted there had been some deep introspection in the aftermath of the Durban Test. "Honest chats" for the batters, were the order of the day.

"It's fair to say we perhaps didn't have a bit of luck and maybe you make your own luck. As a team it is hard to look at that as a factor when you've been beaten because you have to be honest with yourself.

"Hopefully we can gather our strength as a top six. We generally all have good records here. We've played good cricket here and it is a strong ground for us. We hoping to use all that and put in a good performance.

"Bowling-wise, we've kept India under 250 in three out of the four innings so far. If we can maintain that, and perhaps even get a bit tighter by controlling the run rate we can put them under more pressure.

"Now, it is more about mental preparation and execution of our plans."

Dhoni explained the need to maintain sharp focus over five days as one bad session on South African soil could make or break a Test.

"In South Africa the game can change really quickly. In India the game changes on days four and five but here the game can change at any point. You can lose two, three, four, five wickets in a session. On the other hand you can have two set batsmen score at a brisk pace and have 400 runs scored in a day."

The match may mark India coach Gary Kirsten's last Test in charge and Dhoni, far from distancing himself from such talk, was typically forthright. "We would love to do that. We will give 100% and if you still don't win you can take it with an open heart," said Dhoni.

Meanwhile, Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced yesterday that Dolphins spinner Imran Tahir is now eligible for selection for the national team. Tahir, a Pakistan-born player, has been granted South African citizenship and he satisfies both International Cricket Council and CSA criteria for selection with immediate effect.

Paul Harris occupies the spinner's berth in the Test team but Tahir's attacking leg spin may soon become part of the Proteas' bowling landscape.