Indians talk a good game‚ and practice it‚ too

Leave. Arrive. Practise. Keep practising. Practise more. And some more.

India’s idea of acclimatising to South African conditions ahead of their test series next week is as simple as it is exhausting to watch.

Virat Kohli’s squad left for the sharp tip of Africa on Wednesday.

Safely arrived in Cape Town‚ they took to the nets and the middle at the Western Province Cricket Club on Saturday for the first training session of their tour.

It was scheduled to start at 9.30am and end at 2pm‚ but dragged on past that time.

At 2.29pm Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri sat down in a room in the clubhouse for a press conference.

Outside‚ under a cloudless sky and in 27-degree heat‚ activities continued unabated among the remaining players and coaches.

By the time the reporters who had gathered were dispersing‚ just less than half-an-hour after the press conference started‚ blue-shirted Indian bowlers were still running in to deliver to blue-shirted Indian batsmen.

There’s been a lot of talk‚ maybe too much talk‚ about the Indians’ determination to finally win a series in South Africa — in six attempts the closest they’ve come is a drawn rubber in 2010-11.

That they have won 21 and lost only two of their last 30 tests and in the process reeled off nine consecutive series victories — equalling the world record — can only add to that pressure.

Especially as the credibility of India’s feat is called into question by the fact that all of those successes have been achieved on the slow surfaces of Asia and the Caribbean.

But to see them sweating it out in the summer sun for hours on end spoke louder of their commitment to the cause than any amount of blustering from behind a microphone.

Of which‚ of course‚ there was plenty on Saturday.

“Can someone give me in writing that you can just turn up‚ not having prepared at all‚ not having practised in your home conditions at all‚ not being disciplined‚ not being focused about the game and end up winning every game and every series that you play?” Kohli said.

“We feel we have the skill set to do well in any place in the world and now is our opportunity because of the average age of the group and the amount of cricket we are going to play together.”

Shastri also weighed in: “Tell me one team in world cricket that has travelled well over the last two years?”

With a nod out the window‚ Kohli mounted a sturdy defence of the Indians’ decision to scrap a scheduled practice match in favour of training among themselves.

“If you look at the wicket that we are playing on right now‚ it’s not even 15% of what we are going to get in the game‚” he said.

“We understand that.

“There’s no point wasting two days with guys going in‚ scoring quick 50s and coming out. We’d rather have them do two sessions like today‚ get into test match zone‚ to test ourselves and try and prepare the wickets the way we want to.

“If you’re playing a two-day game‚ there’s no room to change the wicket at different times of the day.

“Here we have the freedom to put more water on the wicket‚ roll it‚ make it harder‚ come tomorrow’s practice session and then we have conditions that we want.”

Shastri didn’t mince his words as finely: “For us‚ every game is a home game. You see the pitch and you adapt. No excuses‚ no complaints.

“Two teams have to play on that surface. If you want to be rated as a side‚ you adapt to those conditions. It’s as simple as that.

“Leave all the other crap aside. Just get out there and go and compete.”

As he spoke‚ Newlands’ floodlight pylons loomed not far away.

The test series starts there on Friday‚ when the time for talking will be over.