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India ready for S Africa

Five-match ODI series begins today

Afp, Hyderabad
India and South Africa clash in a five-match limited-overs series from Wednesday, hoping to build on their recent success by playing positive and aggressive cricket.
Rahul Dravid's India are buoyant after a brilliant 6-1 win over Sri Lanka in the recent series which dethroned the islanders as the second-best one-day team in the world behind Australia.
Graeme Smith's South Africans, the new number two in the official rankings, are unbeaten in their last 19 one-dayers, including a 4-0 rout of powerful New Zealand at home earlier this month.
"It is going to be an awesome series against India," said South African coach Mickey Arthur ahead of the opening international at the newly-built Rajiv Gandhi Stadium here.
"India are playing well these days and so have we. We have never won a one-day series in India so this is a good time to set the record straight. We can expect some positive and attacking cricket from both teams."
India's Dravid said the victories over Sri Lanka had boosted his team but there was no room for complacency.
"This is a new series and we will start from scratch," he said. "We have beaten one second-best team and are now geared to take on another secondbest team.
"Hopefully we will continue our giant-killing ways."
India, World Cup finalists in 2003, are ranked seventh, but a series win over South Africa will catapult them to the top four in the International Cricket Council one-day rankings.
India's coach Greg Chappell was confident the hosts can pull it off against the Proteas.
"I am reasonably buoyant and confident that we can cope with whatever they throw at us," the former Australian captain told the Cricinfo website.
"It's a challenge for them to adapt to different conditions. We still have the home advantage but South Africa are a tough team. They don't get beaten easily.
"But if we can shock them the same way we shocked Sri Lanka, there is no reason we can't push DHAKA WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 16, 2005
them back and make it hard for them to play to the best of their ability."
The tourists are without prolific opener Herschelle Gibbs and spinner Nicky Boje, who withdrew from the tour after failing to get a guarantee from Indian police that they will not be questioned or arrested in the Hansie Cronje match-fixing scandal dating back to 2000.
"Herschelle and Nicky are seasoned players, but their absence gives young players a chance to establish themselves in the national side," said Smith, the touring captain.
After Wednesday's day match, the remaining four games will be played under lights at Bangalore (Nov 19), Chennai (Nov 22), Kolkata (Nov 25) and Mumbai (Nov 28).
SQUADS
INDIA (from): Rahul Dravid (captain), Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Mahendra Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, Jai Prakash Yadav, Rudra Pratap Singh, Sri Sreesanth, Harbhajan Singh, Murali Kartik.
SOUTH AFRICA (from): Graeme Smith (captain), AB de Villiers, Jacques Kallis, Justin Kemp, Ashwell Prince, Mark Boucher, Charl Langeveldt, Shaun Pollock, Justin Ontong, Johan Botha, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Robin Peterson, Andrew Hall, Albie Morkel.