IND vs SA | South African can look past bad memories of 2015, feels Aiden Markram

The South African team who toured India in 2015, had beaten India in both the ODI and T20 series, this was a rare achievement for a touring team. However, when it came to the red ball part of the series the South Africans slumped to a 3-0 loss. Aiden Markram who was part of that squad as a 20-year-old reflects on the series, and how it affected some of the other SA players.

"I remember watching that series a few years ago and it looked incredibly difficult. And I'm sure there's a bit of baggage that certain players that were on that tour might still be carrying but that's completely fine," Markram said, according to Cricbuzz, ahead of their three-day practice match in Vijayanagaram. "I think it's never an easy tour coming to anywhere in the subcontinent, let alone India. It's full of challenges, but if we can conquer those challenges it will be really rewarding.

Markram who was part of the South Africa squad that took on India A in the recently concluded first-class encounter in Mysore had scored an impressive 161 in the second innings of the game. The South African team would be hoping that he is able to replicate his form in upcoming series.

"From a personal perspective, it was nice to spend time out in the middle," Markram said. "I think the wickets we get will be a lot different to the wickets we got in the "A" series, but as I said, it's nice to spend time out there. And in the field as well, it was nice for us as fielders to be on our feet for long periods of time and for our bowlers to bowl plenty of spells in these hot conditions. I took a lot from the "A" side games and I'm ready to go in the Test matches. It's always nice to be back in the Proteas environment.

South Africa comes into the Test series after having leveled the three-match T20 series, beating India by 9 wickets in the final game of the series. However the conditions for Test cricket would be drastically different and it might prove difficult for a relatively inexperienced South African unit.

"The guys are positive and upbeat and we're maintaining a really good language in the changeroom, a really strong language. At the end of the day, we're not gonna harp on about conditions, we pretty much know what to expect and we just need to get the job done."