IND vs SA: Former South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis believes confidence is key for ‘tough’ Test series in India
South Africa hasn’t won a Test series in India in 25 years. But as Temba Bavuma’s team starts its two-match series at Eden Gardens from Friday, coming on the back of a World Test Championship (WTC) title and a drawn series against Pakistan, Faf du Plessis believes that a lot will depend on how the team handles the situation in Kolkata.
“It’s about confidence,” Du Plessis said. “Sport is everything to do with your head. It’s about how confident you walk onto the field. How confident you feel about overcoming any situation that you’re confronted with…”
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Having played enough cricket in India, Du Plessis is aware of the challenges that the subcontinent wickets offer, and he believes that a good start will set the tone for the Proteas.
“Generally, your best chance of having success here is when you start the series well. South Africa would arrive in India with confidence. They will arrive as a team that they feel have played well. They are the No. 1 Test team in the world, and that means a lot. But confidence also quickly goes, when you play one Test match and you lose that confidence. Sport strains like that—one moment you feel like you’re in such great form, and then a week later, you feel like you’re out of form. So, it’s great that we’re coming in with it (the confidence). But how we deal with that first Test match will be very important for the series,” Du Plessis said on the sidelines of SA20 Media Day.
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Having played 69 Tests in his career, Du Plessis admits that “India is a tough place to come and play cricket.”
“When you start well, as a batting unit, you’ve got the confidence that you’ve got runs under the belt and you almost put the conditions a little bit out of your head. In the rest of the series, it will feel easier. Similarly, when you are under pressure and lose the first Test, the expectation is going to be hard on the team,” he said.
“The guys have played really well in the subcontinent for the last 12 or 14 months. They played well against Pakistan, and here, I’m expecting the wickets to be very much suited for spinning conditions. It seems like the guys have really worked hard on it. I think that the first Test will be a big stepping stone for us, whether we’re going to do well or we’re going to struggle,” he said, adding: “Unfortunately, it’s only two Test matches. That’s the downside of the new schedule these days. You almost feel like just when you start getting into a series, it is over. I’m a fan of playing three Test matches, but that’s something that’s happening a lot more these days…”
Published on Nov 12, 2025
