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A slew of former ICL players, as well as a few who turned in successful Ranji Trophy seasons, have found themselves picked in the final IPL squads for the third season starting next month

Cricinfo staff12-Feb-2010A slew of former ICL players, as well as a few who turned in successful Ranji Trophy seasons, have found themselves picked in the final IPL squads for the third season starting next month. The squads can be tweaked at any time during the season with the inclusion, at 24 hours’ notice, of any players on a franchise’s books – which explains the exclusion of big names such as Shane Watson and Shane Bond.Kings XI Punjab have signed up four domestic players – the medium-pacers Love Ablish and Shalabh Srivastava, batsman Manvinder Bisla and allrounder Reetinder Sodhi. Sodhi, who played 18 ODIs for India, and Srivastava, a left-arm pacer, were recently admitted back into the domestic fold after they severed ties with the unofficial ICL. Ablish, who plays for Punjab on the domestic circuit, was the third highest wicket-taker in this season’s Ranji Super League. Bisla, the Haryana-born wicketkeeper who plays for Jammu & Kashmir, was part of IPL champions Deccan Chargers’ squad in 2009.Commenting on the selection, Punjab coach Tom Moody said: “They not only bring extra zeal to excel but also add fresh talent to the field with their exemplary ability with the ball and bat. Their zest to learn will ensure KXIP reaches newer heights and is ready to face any competition this season.”Kings XI Punjab: Kumar Sangakkara (capt/wk), Brett Lee, Adrian Barath, Vikramjeet Malik, Bipul Sharma, Manvinder Bisla, Yusuf Abdullah, Karan Goel, Ravi Bopara, Irfan Pathan, Ramesh Powar, Shalabh Srivastava, Mohammad Kaif, Love Ablish, Amanpreet Singh, James Hopes, Reetinder Singh Sodhi, Yash Gandhi, Shaun Marsh, Mahela Jayawardene, Yuvraj Singh, Sreesanth, Piyush Chawla.S Sriram, the batsman who played eight ODIs for India as well as in the ICL, has been named in Royal Challengers Bangalore’s squad. The other more notable change in the Bangalore squad was the inclusion of Steven Smith, the Australia legspinner, in place of Jesse Ryder. Ryder, the New Zealand batsman, has been out of action since the ICC Champions League last September with a groin problem that has troubled him for nearly a year. Smith has made a name for himself in Twenty20 cricket having helped New South Wales win the inaugural Champions League title in India last October. He was also New South Wales’ leading wicket-taker during the 2009-10 Big Bash tournament with seven wickets 10.28Royal Challengers Bangalore: Anil Kumble (capt), Jacques Kallis, Shrivats Goswami, Bhuvanesh Kumar, Eoin Morgan, Abhimanyu Mithun, Virat Kohli, Robin Uthappa, Dale Steyn, Cameron White, Kevin Pietersen, Rahul Dravid, S Sriram, Manish Pandey, R Vinay Kumar, KP Appanna, B Akhil, Steven Smith, Praveen Kumar, Mark Boucher, Dillon du Preez, Ross Taylor, Roelof van der Merwe.Chennai Super Kings have signed up C Ganapathy, who was one of the Ranji Trophy’s leading allrounders this season and who also took a five-wicket haul in the Duleep Trophy final, as well as former India batsman Hemang Badani. Badani was also one of the many domestic players who was released from the ICL last year.Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni (capt), Muttiah Muralitharan, Manpreet Gony, Shadab Jakati, Arun Karthik, Thissara Perera, L Balaji, Suresh Raina, Michael Hussey, Makhaya Ntini, Thilan Thushara, C Ganapathy, M Vijay, Sudeep Tyagi, R Ashwin, Justin Kemp, Hemang Badani, S Badrinath, Matthew Hayden, Albie Morkel, Jacob Oram, George Bailey, Parthiv Patel.Kolkata Knight Riders have not named New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond, their big buy at the auction, but a spokesman said Bond will play for Kolkata once New Zealand finish their home limited-overs matches against Australia. Players who have been drafted in include the Saurashtra opener, Chirag Pathak, who hit a brisk century in the Duleep final. Also named in the Kolkata squad were Cheteshwar Pujara and Ganapathi Vignesh, the hard-hitting opener from Tamil Nadu. Vignesh was another to have returned to the domestic scene from the ICL.Kolkata Knight Riders: Sourav Ganguly (capt), Cheteshwar Pujara, Charl Langeveldt, Chirag Pathak, Iqbal Abdulla, G Vignesh, Brendon McCullum, Angelo Mathews, Wriddhiman Saha, Ajit Agarkar, Chris Gayle, Manoj Tiwary, Rohan Gavaskar, Harshad Khadiwale, Varun Aaron, Eklak Ahmed, Owais Shah, Murali Kartik, Brad Hodge, Ajantha Mendis, Laxmi Shukla, Ashok Dinda, Ishant Sharma.Deccan Chargers, the defending champions, also have four new domestic players in their ranks: Bodapati Sumanth, a middle-order batsman, allrounder Ashish Reddy, opener Monish Mishra who is a former ICL player, and 17-year-old Mumbai left-arm spinner Harmeet Singh.Deccan Chargers: Adam Gilchrist (capt/wk), Azhar Bilakhia, Andrew Symonds, Arjun Yadav, Bodapati Sumanth, Chaminda Vaas, D Ravi Teja, Dwayne Smith, Harmeet Singh, Ashish Reddy, Herschelle Gibbs, Kemar Roach, VVS Laxman, Mohnish Mishra, Pragyan Ojha, Rohit Sharma, RP Singh, Ryan Harris, T Suman, Venugopal Rao, Anirudh Singh, Rahul Sharma, Mitchell Marsh.The former India offspinner Sarandeep Singh, who played three Tests and five ODIs, and the Punjab legspinner Sarabjit Ladda have joined Delhi Daredevils.Delhi Daredevils: Gautam Gambhir (capt), AB de Villiers, Umesh Yadav, Kedar Jadhav, Wayne Parnell, Shashi Ranjan, Ashish Nehra, Mithun Manhas, Andrew McDonald, Farveez Maharoof, Virender Sehwag, Dinesh Karthik, Joginder Singh, Pradeep Sangwan, Amit Mishra, Moises Henriques, Sarandeep Singh, Sarabjit Ladda, Aavishkar Salvi, David Warner, Dirk Nannes, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Rajat Bhatia.The three former ICL players in the Mumbai Indians squad are Ambati Rayudu, once ranked as India material, Syed Sahabuddin, and Ali Murtaza.Mumbai Indians: Sachin Tendulkar (capt), Lasith Malinga, Kieron Pollard, Ambati Rayudu, Chandan Madan, Syed Sahabuddin, Dhawal Kulkarni, Shikhar Dhawan, Graham Napier, Dilhara Fernando, Dwayne Bravo, Zaheer Khan, Ali Murtaza, Saurabh Tiwary, R Sathish, Aditya Tare, Ishan Malhotra, Rahul Shukla, Abhishek Nayar, JP Duminy, Sanath Jayasuriya, Harbhajan Singh, Ryan McLaren.Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja has been omitted from Rajasthan Royals’ squad.Rajasthan Royals: Shane Warne (capt), Damien Martyn, Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, Abhishek Raut, Faiz Fazal, Amit Paunikar, Amit Singh, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Shaun Tait, Yusuf Pathan, Swapnil Asnodkar, Naman Ojha, Johan Botha, Michael Lumb, Shrikant Wagh, Sumit Narwal, Syed Quadri, Kamran Khan, Graeme Smith, Morne Morkel, Siddharth Trivedi, Mahesh Rawat, Munaf Patel.

Wolves are on the verge of completing a move for Estoril and Portugal under-21 winger Chiquinho, according to reliable journalist Tim Spiers.

The Lowdown: Chiquinho impressing in Portugal

The 21-year-old has been making a name for himself in his homeland, impressing out wide for Estoril with four goals and six assists in 20 appearances this season – a solid return for a player still learning his trade.

It now looks as though a move to Wolves is on the cards, according to a key transfer update.

The Latest: Spiers makes transfer claim

Taking to Twitter on Saturday as he shared an accompanying article for The Athletic, Spiers posted this update: “Wolves are set to sign 21-year-old Portuguese winger Chiquinho for an initial fee of around £3m.”

The journalist added that the forward has “been flying in his breakthrough year for Estoril”, with the player set to become the Old Gold’s first signing of the January transfer window.

The Verdict: Exciting long-term signing

This is an exciting update from a Wolves perspective, with long-term planning essential in ensuring they continue their current positive momentum.

At 21, Chiquinho may not come straight in as a regular starter, but he could be a strong option from the bench, offering plenty of trickery and end product. It’s a move with echoes of the Old Gold signing his compatriot Diogo Jota as a 20-year-old, with the now-Liverpool star netting 18 goals in 46 games in his first season at Molineux, albeit at Championship level.

It looks like Chiquinho is a done deal for Wolves, and one which will bring welcome squad depth as they look to finish in the European places in the Premier League.

In other news, some Wolves fans slammed one player’s performance in the win over Southampton. Find out who it is here.

Leeds United defender Charlie Cresswell could be out for up to three months, according to injury expert Ben Dinnery, talking to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Cresswell’s training ground injury

Cresswell, labelled as ‘unbelievable’ by Leeds YouTuber Joe Wainman after an impressive performance earlier this season, is just one of numerous sidelined players at Elland Road.

The 19-year-old made his Premier League debut against West Ham back in September and has featured in three more top-flight games since.

He was set to start against Arsenal on the weekend with Liam Cooper and Pascal Struijk injured and Diego Llorente out through illness, however, he suffered a shoulder issue in training and was unable to feature.

It now seems as if he could miss a chunk of action, with injury expert Dinnery believing he may need surgery.

The Latest: Dinnery’s comments

Dinnery was talking to Football Insider regarding Cresswell’s shoulder issue.

This is what he had to say, admitting he may need an operation to resolve the issue, which could keep him out for three months and therefore would result in Cresswell missing Leeds’ next 12 games.

“Prior to the Leeds-Arsenal game, some outlets reported that it was a dislocation.

“But Bielsa spoke prior to kick-off and referenced a clavicle injury. Those are two slightly different issues

“It was a training ground issue with a player landing on top of Cresswell. With that injury, it can be treated conservatively.

“Kalvin Phillips dislocated his shoulder on the last day of the 2020-21 season and was available for England 14 days later.

“But sometimes you may need surgery to address the underlying issues as it is a fairly shallow joint

“If there is a laxity within the connective tissue that holds that arm in place, you can need an operation.

“If it’s treated conservatively, he could be out for a matter of weeks. If it’s surgery, it could be two or three months, or possibly even longer.

“If it is a non-displaced clavicle injury, conservative treatment again would suffice.

“If it’s more serious, again surgery may be required. Then we are talking anywhere from six to eight weeks.”

The Verdict: Never ends…

Leeds have 10, yes 10 first-team players sidelined at this moment in time, so hearing these comments on Cresswell aren’t exactly ideal.

Marcelo Bielsa has a small squad as it is, so needs every player he can to be available, even if it is a teenage defender with just one Premier League start.

Cresswell has missed just two Premier League matchday squads, though, becoming a regular in the 20-man squad, but it seems as if he’ll be missing the festive period and possibly the first few months of 2022.

Hopefully, the New Year will result in better luck on the injury front, otherwise, the Whites could be in danger of relegation in just their second season back in the top flight.

In other news: Orta now keen on signing ‘flawless’ int’l on loan for Leeds in January alongside two midfielders. 

According to a report by Football Insider, Newcastle United will not pursue Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli in the upcoming January transfer window, despite previous rumours linking him with the club.

The Lowdown: Alli set to leave Spurs

Spurs have granted the player the opportunity to leave next month, permitting both permanent and temporary deals, but it is more likely that he will move on loan for the remainder of the season.

The 25-year-old has made just nine appearances in the Premier League this term, with only two of those coming under Antonio Conte. This includes a recent outing against Liverpool, where the midfielder played 81 minutes in Spurs’ 2-2 draw, receiving a 6.5 SofaScore rating.

Three years ago, Alli was worth a staggering £90m. However, a decline in game-time and form since then has seen his market value slip to just £22.5m. This illustrates the severity of the player’s decline and suggests that Spurs bosses are finished with the midfielder, with him set to be offloaded in January if a potential suitor can be found.

The Latest: Newcastle will not pursue Alli

According to a fresh report by Football Insider, Newcastle will not go in for Alli in January, as Eddie Howe has rejected the chance to push for the player, deciding that he needs to prioritise other areas of his squad.

This news arises following previous reports that the Magpies had made initial enquiries with Spurs, but now it seems that Howe has had a change of heart and no longer considers Alli a transfer target. Instead, he is keen to brining in a more traditional midfielder, rather than an attacking one, along with a defender in a bid to bolster the spine of the team.

The Verdict: Newcastle move could have been good for both parties

Alli is looking to revive his career after suffering a stagnant few years at Tottenham. His former manager Jose Mourinho labelled the midfielder as ‘lazy’ and said that he created ‘problems for his own team’.

However, his talent is undeniable. Mourinho admitted that Sir Alex Ferguson gave him one bit of advice whilst he was in charge at Manchester United – ‘buy Dele Alli’. Even Brazil legend Roberto Carlos once said that the Spurs ace is ‘undoubtedly good enough for Real Madrid’.

If this talent was to be utilised in full force again, Alli could still prove to be a top-class player. With Newcastle often lacking an attacking threat in the final third, the 25-year-old could have been a fantastic addition for Howe if he hadn’t shifted the focus to other areas of the squad.

In other news: Sky Sports journalist shares info as Newcastle eye potential ‘brilliant signing’

Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting have attracted the highest base price of $400,000 each ahead of the IPL player auction, which will be held on February 3 in Chennai

Nagraj Gollapudi30-Jan-2013Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting, the current Australian Test captain and his predecessor, have attracted the highest base price of $400,000 each ahead of the IPL player auction, which will be held on February 3 in Chennai. The Australian duo form part of the 101-strong list comprising players from eight countries, which was finalised by the IPL on Wednesday and distributed to the nine franchises.In addition to a host of lesser-known players mainly from Australia and South Africa – the breeding ground of Twenty20 cricket – the list includes seven Indians, two Englishmen and Kevin O’Brien, the Ireland allrounder who is the lone representative from the Associates. The list once again does not feature Pakistani players.Though Clarke has not played for Australia in Twenty20s since he retired from the format a couple of years ago, he was signed by the Pune Warriors last year outside of the auction. Now released by the franchise, Clarke is expected to be one of the few marquee names to go under the hammer. What stands in his favour are his successful leadership abilities along with a strong batting form last year.In comparison, the 38-year-old Ponting, who retired from all forms of international cricket last November, may not sell as an equally-hot entity. Ponting made his IPL debut in 2008 with the Kolkata Knight Riders, but in 2010 the franchise bought out his contract.Darren Sammy, who led West Indies to the World Twenty20 crown last year, tops the list of first-timers with a base price of $100,000, and is part of the allrounders set. Ravi Bopara, the England allrounder, also has a list price of $100,000, the same as last season when he remained unsold. Another England player who was ignored last year, but has once again put his hat in the ring, is Matt Prior ($200,000); he is also one of the wicketkeepers available.RP Singh and Abhishek Nayar top the list of players whose fortunes crashed badly last season. Singh, who was bought by Mumbai Indians in 2012 for $600,000, was released by the franchise after a lukewarm performance where he bagged 10 wickets from 11 matches and thereafter has failed to impress in the domestic cricket.Nayar hit prolific form during Mumbai’s victorious Ranji Trophy season this year to finish as the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament. He was bought by Kings XI Punjab in the 2011 auction for $800,000 but the franchise opted to release him after a dismal 2012 edition. Nayar has now entered the auction with a reserve price of $100,000.Among the overseas players, Johan Botha is back in the auction at a list price of $300,000 after being released by Rajasthan Royals. They had paid an eyebrow-raising $950,000 during the 2011 player auction to bag Botha, a move that seemed puzzling considering Shane Warne was still the leading spinner for the inaugural IPL champions. Last year Botha fetched a poor return, bagging just nine wickets and scoring 58 runs in the eleven games he played.This time around the majority of the franchises have predicted a low-key auction, reasoning that they had most bases covered during the previous two auctions. “Apart from filling in certain small gaps, I do not see any big action happening this time around. Also with the player contracts expiring after the 2013 season, it would be difficult to place your bets on any big buys,” a franchise official told ESPNcricinfo.Even the trading window, which opened on November 19, attracted scant attention from the franchises with one formal trade registered: T Suman, who played for Mumbai Indians in 2012, shifting to neighbouring Pune Warriors. The second trading window will be open from February 4 to 15. Each franchise has a salary cap of up to $12.5m to spend on their 2013 squad, which can contain a maximum of 33 players, including 11 from overseas.Click here for the full list of players and reserve prices.

Transfer insider Dean Jones has now dropped a big Everton manager claim involving Sean Dyche.

The Lowdown: Lampard under pressure

Frank Lampard is under huge pressure to guide the Goodison Park faithful to survival in the Premier League, as they currently find themselves lurking in the relegation zone, although with a game in hand on Dyche’s former club.

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The Merseyside club reportedly have the option to part ways with Lampard at the end of the season, and could look to act on that if they were to go down to the Championship.

The Latest: Dyche talk

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones has now shared ‘talk’ of Dyche potentially succeeding Lampard at the Toffees, but feels the Burnley icon would not ‘fit the mould’ for what they are looking for:

“I see people are starting to talk about Sean Dyche as a potential option for Everton. Typically, he wouldn’t really fit the mould.

“Moshiri likes to be ambitious and go for managers of profile and a certain elegance when it comes to the Premier League and world football status.”

The Verdict: Keep the faith

The manager situation will be a matter of waiting until the end of the campaign to see whether Lampard can keep them up, and if he does, the board should really keep the faith for next term.

There is no doubt that Dyche is a quality manager, having kept Burnley up for five straight seasons in the Premier League, including one seventh-placed finish (Transfermarkt).

However, Lampard needs to be given time to implement his ideas and bring in his own players to the club, so if the Blues were to stay up, then he should be given next season as well.

In other news, find out which EFC star has now been offered to this top-flight giant here!

Shoaib Akhtar, the Pakistan fast bowler, has said he wants to use the upcoming Pentangular one-day tournament as a launchpad for a return to international cricket

Cricinfo staff10-Apr-2010Shoaib Akhtar, the Pakistan fast bowler, has said he wants to use the upcoming Pentangular one-day tournament as a launchpad for a return to international cricket, which he hasn’t been a part of for nearly a year.Earlier this week, he had been named in the Federal Areas team for the tournament starting on April 17. “I am thankful to the board for giving me this opportunity to prove myself again and I want to give it my best effort,” he said.Shoaib attributed to the below-par efforts in his past few series to a persistent knee problem, which has been corrected through surgery. “Now that the surgery has been done and the rehabilitation process has also gone well, I am back to my top fitness and the knee problem is no longer a hindrance in my giving my best on the field.”After being left out of the squad for the World Twenty20, he has set his sights on returning to the national team during the series against Australia, which will be hosted by England in July. “The England tour would be the perfect place for me to comeback as it has good conditions for bowling and the best facilities for a bowler coming back from an injury.”Shoaib’s last appearance for Pakistan was last year, a wicketless outing in a Twenty20 international in Dubai against Australia. Since then fitness issues, the rise of Mohammad Aamer and the return of Mohammad Asif have eased him further out of national reckoning. He has not played a Test for Pakistan since December 2007.

Manchester United interim boss Ralf Rangnick has confirmed that the Red Devils will be appointing Chris Armas as assistant coach and sports psychologist Sascha Lense.

As to be expected, a number of United supporters were quick to flock to the news on social media, with Rangnick talking to the media ahead of tonight’s Champions League meeting with Young Boys.

As reported by The Daily Mail, the 63-year-old revealed that the pair would be moving to Old Trafford, with Armas and Lense waiting for work permits.

The Daily Mail believe they will begin working under Rangnick before the end of the week, with the interim manager keen to put his stamp on the club both on and off the pitch. They have both worked with the German before at other clubs, while Lense becomes the Red Devils’ first appointment in a sports psychology role since Bill Beswick was brought to Old Trafford in the late 1990s.

United fans react

Well-known Twitter channel @utdreport shared Rangnick’s news about the pair on social media. Here is what these United fans had to say in reply, with many happy with the appointments and one labelling it as ‘big news’.

“HUGE”

Credit: @jeb_UTD

“I had to double-check the name… CHRIS!!!!  … wow. Life is full of surprises…I’m so happy for him. Coolest coach I’ve met at all levels.”

Credit: @Lixogram

“The revamp continues!”

Credit: @United_Roar

“BIG News”

Credit: @Zevascofnm

“YESSSS”

Credit: @AlexXO___

“Premier League is in trouble”

Credit: @Notmyname_77

In other news: ‘Here we go’, ‘Oh my’, ‘We might be back’ – Lots of MUFC fans buzzing as Fabrizio Romano shares ‘perfect’ news

The teenage batsman Kane Williamson is line for a potential Test debut after being named in New Zealand’s squad for the second Test against Australia starting in Hamilton on Saturday

Brydon Coverdale23-Mar-2010The teenage batsman Kane Williamson is line for a potential Test debut after being named in New Zealand’s squad for the second Test against Australia starting in Hamilton on Saturday. Williamson, 19, has been in irresistible form in the Plunket Shield this summer, and will replace the injured Daryl Tuffey. Allrounder James Franklin has also been included in the squad.Williamson, a top-order batsman and offspinner, put in a brilliant all-round performance for Northern Districts against Auckland last week, when he made 192 and finished with match figures of 5 for 59. He has made 588 runs at 53.45 in the Plunket Shield this season and will be pushing for a Test debut at his home ground, Seddon Park, after the shaky efforts of the top order in Wellington.”I wasn’t expecting a call at all, but I was aware that I was probably getting looked at after past performances, I was absolutely thrilled,” Williamson said. “I had a bit of contact with [coach] Mark Greatbatch, not on a consistent basis, but once or twice he said ‘keep going’. I’m certainly excited to test myself at the next level and learn a lot.”Franklin’s ability to bowl left-arm seam won him the nod, as the selectors prepared for the possibility of overcast conditions in Hamilton.”There has been a lot of rain in Hamilton of late, and it is fair to say that the conditions we saw today at Seddon Park, at this stage, are far different to those we experienced earlier in the season,” Greatbatch said. “We thought it prudent to have all our bases covered, and James does that for us.”The squad also includes Mathew Sinclair, who was included as top-order cover in the squad at the Basin Reserve but did not make the side. The offspinner Jeetan Patel will feature strongly in the selection discussions on a pitch expected to take some turn, but most of the interest in the lead-up will surround the young Williamson.”He’s in the 13 so he’s a chance, there’s no doubt about that,” Greatbatch said. “We’ll have to look at the conditions at Seddon Park but he’s playing well. We resisted the temptation to bring him in earlier but we’ve decided with one Test left, he’s a young lad playing well, very talented and it’s an opportunity for him to be involved in our environment. If he does make the starting 11 I’m sure he’ll acquit himself well.”New Zealand squad Tim McIntosh, BJ Watling, Mathew Sinclair, Peter Ingram, Ross Taylor, Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson, Daniel Vettori (capt), Brendon McCullum (wk), Tim Southee, Brent Arnel, Jeetan Patel, Chris Martin, James Franklin.

Graeme Smith has named MS Dhoni, his counterpart, as South Africa’s primary target in the two-Test series, which begins at the VCA Stadium on Saturday

Cricinfo staff05-Feb-2010Graeme Smith has named MS Dhoni, his counterpart, as South Africa’s primary target in the two-Test series, which begins at the VCA Stadium on Saturday. Smith said his team was gunning for Dhoni because he carried the bulk of the responsibility for India and, if they attacked him successfully, they would be well placed to win the series and snatch the No.1 Test ranking.”We see him [Dhoni] as the key figure in their side,” Smith said. “He obviously carries a lot of responsibility so if we can create a lot of pressure on him may be we can open up a few chinks.”Smith said Dhoni, who was victorious in his first Test as captain against South Africa in Kanpur in 2008, had grown in stature and earned respect from opponents. “He seems a good, controlled leader of men,” he said. “But we have gathered a lot of information on him from the time he made his debut as Test captain.”However, Smith said that the South Africans were not just picking targets from the opposition but were also trying to come to terms with changes in their own house. Less than ten days ago, Mickey Arthur resigned as head coach and Cricket South Africa [CSA] sacked the selection panel headed by Mike Procter. A new interim coach (Corrie van Zyl), an interim selection panel (led by CSA chief Gerald Majola), a batting consultant (Kepler Wessels) were put in place ahead of the crucial tour of India.”Last week was quite a tough time for all the guys including myself,” Smith said. “There were a lot of mixed media reports which weighed a lot on our heads.”Smith said it would take time for normalcy to return but added that the entire South African camp was relaxed and focused on adapting quickly to the situation and the Indian environment. “It has been a rushed preparation for Corrie and Kepler trying to come to terms with everything. But each guy is finding a space in the environment. Ultimately this tour would be judged on results.”Smith was clear there was no room for error in two-Test rubbers. “It obviously puts a lot of emphasis on the first Test. You need to be lot more precise. There is no way to get back in the series if you allow things to slip early on.”In 2009, South Africa hosted against Australia and England and, on both occasions, they failed to get off a winning start. Australia beat them handsomely 2-1 to regain the No.1 spot while England frustrated them throughout the four-Test series late last year. “We haven’t started series well off late so our first Test match is key,” Smith said.The primary reason South Africa remain hopeful is their spirited display on their previous tour of India when they took the series lead with a stunning victory on a pace-friendly pitch in Ahmedabad. India bounced back to level the series on a dubious Green Park pitch days later, and Smith said the players were hungry and ready to correct past errors.”In 2008 we had won in England, and then in Australia and we came close to beating India. That is our goal now: we want to tick this box,” Smith said, terming the Indian challenge as “awesome”.The flat pitches, with slow and low bounce, in contrast to the hard, grassy springboards of home, will be the biggest challenge South Africa face in the coming weeks. Smith denied the dry pitches would dissuade his bowlers, indicating that their strength relied on the Dale Steyn-led three-man pace attack, also featuring Morne Morkel and left-armer Wayne Parnell. “That is the key, to adapt to the conditions, but it is also important we play our style of cricket,” Smith stressed.One concern South Africa have is Paul Harris, their main spinner, who was ineffective against England and was dropped from the final Test in Johannesburg, where the hosts leveled the series. His record against India is the worst among all countries: in four Tests he has managed 13 wickets at 45 each. Offspinner Johan Botha has been less threatening since the ICC banned his doosra last May. But Botha batted in the warm-up game against Board President’s XI, raising doubts over Harris’ spot.But Smith cleared those doubts and indirectly indicated Harris is likely to come back into the team. “Paul is the man with the mantle at the moment and it would take a lot for that to change. I think Johan [Botha] can add a lot of value but these are things we need to take a look at tonight and make a decision.”