Bowler-friendly conditions will help India, says Dhoni

DURBAN, (Reuters) – Bowler-friendly conditions in   Durban will help India in the second test against South Africa   starting tomorrow, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said yesterday.
India are coming off an innings defeat in the first test   at Centurion but Dhoni said that the cloudy, humid conditions   and green wicket would help his team take the 20 wickets they   need to level the three-test series.
“In the last game we were not even able to take 10   wickets, which is always a worry if you want to win a test   match,” Dhoni told a news conference in Durban.
“Here it looks as if the bowlers will have the upper hand,   which means we will look to strike with the ball. The weather   forecast suggests it will be quite cloudy during the match and   the stats say that whenever it’s cloudy in Durban the ball   does a bit.”
India have been boosted by the return to fitness of fast   bowler Zaheer Khan, who has taken 261 wickets in 76 tests.
“Zaheer Khan will be back in the side, which is a big   bonus for us. We know that our bowlers have the talent, they   just need to execute our plans well and be patient,” he added.
A loss in Durban would see South Africa win the series but   Dhoni said that did not place any extra pressure on his team.
“When you are the number one side in the world every game   is important, irrespective of where you stand in a series,” he   said.
“We don’t place any extra emphasis on an individual match   because if you do that you just create extra pressure for   yourself.”