India have the names to challenge South Africa: Faf du Plessis

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Durban, January 31: South Africa captain Faf du Plessis on Wednesday acknowledged it will be tough to beat India in the six-match ODI series starting on Thursday (February 1) and said the visitors' poor record here in the 50-over format will not be much of a factor.

India have only won 5 out of 27 ODIs they have played against South Africa in South Africa.

"I think it (the poor record) tells a story. It means that there is something difficult for touring teams to come here and get accustomed to. But as I mentioned before the Test series, I feel like this Indian cricket team has got the names on paper to challenge that and get some victories in South Africa.

"They have proved that in the Test series and they are a quality team. So I expect the same (challenge and intensity) in the ODIs coming up," said du Plessis.

Du Plessis felt that Indian bowlers would do well in the ODI series as well.

"They are very good spinners. I've played against them (Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav) obviously in the T20s and in the IPL. They have been very successful for India. ODI wickets here generally don't spin a hell lot so it depends on how the wickets play.

"But they have got more control. The benefit of having spinners like that is they are always looking to get wickets. And if you get wickets, you put pressure on the batting side. They'll be two important bowlers for the Indian team," he said.