Steyn was clearly trying to score a few psychological points before the second ODI at Kingsmead. When a member of the South African media contingent asked whether he has been able to frighten the Indian batsmen on Thursday, Steyn smiled. "I definitely think so... I don't see many of our guys walking off the field with bloody fingers or ice-packs on the ribs. It definitely was a wake-up call for the Indians."
The pace ace even took a jibe at India's scoring spree in the last two ODI series back home. "It's not Mumbai where the ball doesn't get higher than the stumps, so it's going to be hard to play here." It almost seemed that Steyn had a one-point agenda — to run down the Indian team. He did concede that "they're a good side and No. 1 for a reason" but was quick to point out how Dhoni's boys struggled against the South African pace battery in Johannesburg. "Rohit Sharma has scored a double hundred but he couldn't put bat to ball the other day...There were a few others who were jumping around a bit," Steyn said, adding that Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni were the two who seemed to be playing well.
Not just the Indian batting, the pacer had a word or two about India's choice of bowlers in Johannesburg. The Indians had gone in with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohit Sharma on a pitch which had good bounce. With both bowlers operating at around 125 kmph, they were easy picking for South African batsmen.
"I'm not going to give them any advice, that's for sure. But I think they really lack somebody who can get the pace up there. They have the one guy that can bowl at 140 kmph, but then Ishant is sitting on the sidelines. And let's not forget, we have some quality batsmen as well," he said.
Even the Indian spin duo of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja did not escape Steyn's verbal volleys. "You need guys who can spin the ball a mile in order to be successful here. The Wanderers didn't offer the turn that the Indian spinners are used to...There was something in the deck and we used it very well," Steyn added.
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