da poker： The loss of five wickets for 227 notwithstanding, Graeme Smith soundedpositive at the post-day press conference
da bet nacional： Chandrahas Choudhury at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata28-Nov-2004
Zaheer Khan subjected all the batsmen to a searching examination on the first day at Kolkata© Getty Images
The loss of five wickets for 227 notwithstanding, Graeme Smith soundedpositive at the post-day press conference, saying that his team had somebatting still to come, and that they needed to push on on day two. Smithinterpreted the success of Irfan Pathan and Zaheer Khan as a promisingsign for South Africa. “It’s good for us that the pacemen took wickets,”he said. “We only have the one spinner in Justin Ontong, and the rest ofit is an all-seam attack, so that could work to our advantage. We’veworked very hard on our preparations for this tour, and I think we aremuch better prepared than the last time we toured the sub-continent.”Smith also praised the contributions of Jacques Kallis and JacquesRudolph, and noted that Hashim Amla had made a confident start to his Testcareer, even if he had got only 24. “I was impressed by how calm he was,”he said. “Playing your first Test on the subcontinent is a daunting task.He came in when the ball was reverse-swinging and looked solid. I expecthe will be even more hungry in the second innings.”Irfan Pathan, India’s representative at the press conference, also evincedsatisfaction at how the day had gone, both personally and for the team. Hepointed out that the wicket was good for batting, and that India had donewell to take five wickets and also restrict South Africa to 227.Pathan said he was pleased that Zaheer Khan had bowled so well, observingthat it is always easier for a bowler when somebody is bowling well at theother end. “Often it happens that the bowler who bowls best ends up nottaking the most wickets, but he builds up pressure for the other bowlersto exploit. I think the whole attack bowled well today, even if thespinners didn’t take any wickets. We didn’t bowl too many loose balls andSouth Africa never got away.The morning session tomorrow is veryimportant, and we will be looking to get South Africa out as soon as possible.”
