 JP Duminy and Hashim Amla in a fielding exercise. (AFP)  |
Nagpur - Hashim Amla, South Africa's opening batsman, said that the pressure is on India ahead of their marquee clash with South Africa in Nagpur on Saturday.
GALLERY: CWC 2011
"Being at home comes with a lot of expectation," he said. "I don't think the pressure is on us as much as it is on India."
South Africa and India's match is one of the most eagerly anticipated of the group stage, with both teams fighting to find consistency with both ball and bat.
With the pitch in Nagpur likely to offer more assistance to batsmen, it leaves little to whet the appetite of the bowlers. Despite this, Dale Steyn and Zaheer Khan, both strike seamers from the respective camps, are expected to do well.
India's attack has come under fierce criticism for lacking penetration, but Amla predicts that they will still bring their fair share of spice for the South Africans to deal with.
"We rate their bowlers," he said. "Even though we won 3-2 (in the recent home ODI series) they bowled very well in that series."
There is a real air of excitement surrounding the clash, with India's voiciforous supporters in full attendance at the VCA ground, although Amla does not believe this is a large factor for South Africa to consider: "We've played in front of big crowd before, it may take five or six overs to get used to the noise factor but it will be a lovely atmosphere."
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