Seaming track, cold conditions not a worry for coach Kirsten

Undaunted by the traditionally seam-friendly Basin Reserve track, India coach Gary Kirsten today said his side will have no trouble adjusting to it in the third and final Test against New Zealand starting Friday.

Kirsten said he did not see any reason to be hassled about the wicket or the cold, windy conditions here. India has not won a Test in the city for the past 34 years.

"What they have done all through this tour is they have prepared good cricket wickets. We can see there is going to be good bounce in it. It looks like a good cricket wicket. We are happy with the conditions as well," said Kirsten, taking time off from a tutoring session with Dinesh Karthik, to complete the mandatory press briefing.

"Whatever be the wicket or the conditions, it is up to the performances of the day. New Zealand have shown they were really competitive and they were well up in that last Test match. We had to use all our determination to save the game, which we did really well. For me it was a remarkable performance. We are looking forward to a good Test match," he added.

Kirsten felt it was important to give the bowlers something to look forward to in a wicket. "It is always important that you give the bowlers something on all the conditions. All bowlers love a bit of bounce. They feel if they get good bounce, and they have a good bowling day they can get something going," said Kirsten.

Kirsten was glad that his bowlers were well-rested before the third Test. "Our bowlers have got a fair amount of rest watching the guys bat over 270 overs in the last Test. They are pretty keen to get out there and bowl," he said.

The former South African opener said he backed his batsmen to play their natural game. "We play that way. We play flair cricket. We like to take it on. We like to play aggressively, and there is a risk element in that. But we feel that the team is well balanced, and we can have guys who can bat periods of time as well.

"But we certainly encourage our guys to take the ball on and to dominate and play aggressive cricket. We want to go and win every Test match. That is certainly our intention," he said.

Kirsten was confident that Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who sat out of the second match due to a sore back, would be fit for this game. "No decisions have been made yet. But he is doing nicely so far. He is a fantastic player. As he provides so much to the team, it would be great to have him on board. We also feel that we have got other players who can do the job, but certainly to have MSD as a captain will be great. He offers a lot as a batsman as well.

"He would be of great value to any team in the world. We are hoping he will be fit," said Kirsten, before joining Karthik at the nets.