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South African off-spinner Simon Harmer, who played a pivotal role in his team's win against India in the Kolkata test, said that India has been a haunting ground for his team in the past, adding that the victory against Indian squad shows what the South African team is capable of pulling.
Harmer registered figures of 4-30 in India's first innings and then backed it up with another match-defining performance as he claimed figures of 4-21 in India's second innings. "I felt today it probably got a little bit flatter as the ball got softer (on the pitch). It wasn't exploding as much. So I was asking myself some hard questions. But nice to contribute. I've been here before (in India), and it was a dark place. Losing back-to-back test matches here...so to get here, to be in this position...and for the team to fight the way that they did, it just shows where this group is at, what they're capable of, and the belief that they have," said Harmer during the post-match presentation. Harmer stressed the importance of building pressure through consistent areas, noting that both teams were always one partnership away from shifting the game. "I'm not a stats man, I'm happy with the win. Obviously, still another Test to go in the series, but we'll definitely enjoy this and stay with this because they don't come around that often. I knew that I needed to bowl well. I think it was the same when we were batting. We felt like we were one partnership away from getting ourselves into the game. And I think it was the same with the ball in hand. We knew that they were only one partnership away from getting really close. So I just needed to try and put as many balls in the right area and trust that the wicket would do its thing," said the Proteas spinner. He admitted he was lucky with a few wickets and that personal milestones mattered less than the team's success. "I think I missed quite a bit today. I was quite lucky with Jurel's wicket. And even Jadeja and Pant's wickets, I thought they weren't the greatest balls. But sometimes, you bowl badly and get wickets. And sometimes, you bowl well and don't. So just incredibly happy to be standing in this position with a win behind us. Not at all (on missing the 5-wicket haul). I was so confused at the end. I wasn't aware that Shubman wasn't going to be batting. So when Kesh was running and celebrating, I was like, what's going on here? But yeah, I think the personal accolades are trumped by a team's success. I know it's so cliche. I'll bleed for the team. And I'm more than happy to walk away with a four. At the end of the day, if you get overawed, you can get yourself into a tricky situation," Harmer concluded. (ANI)
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