This is India's second appearance in the WTC final after losing the inaugural game in 2021 to New Zealand.
It has been learnt that the Indian team management wants tracks that are hard and bouncy without any major grass covering for all three home Tests -- something they will be getting in South Africa.
Ponting said at the end of the day it comes down to individual preparation.
India finished the second day on 308 for four in 81 overs. They trail West Indies by just three runs, after the visitors were bowled out for 311 earlier in the day.
Man of the match Rohit Sharma, a much improved Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur spoke about the victory.
South Africa will have to produce an exceptional batting performance to get back into the contest when skipper Faf du Plessis and Zubayr Hamza return to the crease in Ranchi on Monday.
Senior batsman Sachin Tendulkar was included in the 15-member Indian squad, but the struggling Virender Sehwag was given a rest for the Asia Cup tournament to be played in Bangladesh next month.
He has been in tremendous form of late with one hundred and three fifties in his last six 50-over games.
Travis Head's counter-attacking hundred and his unbroken 251-run stand with Steve Smith put Australia in charge on 327/3 on the opening day of the WTC final against India.
Images from Day 2 of the fourth Test between England and India, at The Oval, on Friday.
History has not seen a cricketing rivalry as fierce as this this century, every ball bowled every run taken, coming with no quarter given. Ahead of India's five Test tour of Australia, Norma Astrid Godinho/Rediff.com takes a walk down memory lane, recounting India's sojourns Down Under from 1947 to 2021, in a 4-part series.
South Africa remains one of the very few places where India have not won a Test series, and the Virat Kohli-led side is determined to end the wait this time around.
'He could be the franchise player for KKR for the best part of the decade'
The Indian dressing room is 'noisier', Coach Ravi Shastri noted, after the 23 year old's return.
Umesh Yadav took a blinder of a catch to dismiss Corey Anderson in the first One-Day International against New Zealand in Dharamsala and fielding coach R Sridhar feels that the Vidarbha fast bowler has "created new benchmark" for the speedsters.
India's Test specialists, including senior speedster Ishant Sharma, toiled hard at the nets on the second day of the short camp in Mumbai on Tuesday as they braced up for the upcoming Test series against New Zealand.
Images from Day 5 of the fourth Test between India and South Africa, at Delhi, on Monday.
GT (10 points from seven matches) have been a well-oiled unit and looks set for a successive play-off berth, sitting behind leaders Rajasthan Royals on net run-rate with a match in hand.
Pacer Navdeep Saini and uncapped Saurabh Kumar were named as replacements for injured Mohammad Shami and Ravindra Jadeja.
Rossouw was supported by opener Quinton de Kock (68 off 43) while David Miller came in with four balls left in the innings to smash three sixes, guiding the tourists to a competitive total of 227.
Pacer Mohammad Siraj said the plan is to concentrate on the basics and to end Australia's innings as soon as possible on Tuesday.
The in-form Virat Kohli was on Monday rested for the forthcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka, while Delhi's left-arm spinner Pawan Negi was a surprise inclusion for the three-match series.
Debutants Afghanistan were bowled out twice in a day to lose the one-off Test match against India by an innings and 262 runs, in Bengaluru, on Friday.
In-form Naman Ojha struck his third successive century while No.10 batsman Umesh Yadav smashed a quickfire 90 to give India 'A' the upperhand against Australia 'A' on Day 3 of the second unofficial Test match.
India are chasing a victory in Ahmedabad to confirm their place in the final of the World Test Championship against Australia in June.
India captain Rohit Sharma including mainstays Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja have placed in the highest category of BCCI central contracts.
Senior India speedster Mohammed Shami rates the current pace attack as the best in the history of Indian Test cricket. India's pace quartet of Shami, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Umesh Yadav has been very consistent in the past two years.
Having sealed the series 2-0, should India field Kuldeep Yadav in the fjhinal Test?
Bumrah, Chahar, Kaul get their first dose of COVID vaccine.
The Greenfield stadium has a capacity of 55,000 seats and the KCA said on Monday that 2,000 tickets for the opening T20I are still up for grabs.
Images from the third day's play of the second Test between India and New Zealand being played at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore
India's bowling coach Bharat Arun is confident that the team's speed merchants Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav will take up the challenge to maintain speed as well as be accurate in the upcoming three-Test series against Sri Lanka, starting on August 12 at Galle.
With two senior pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar (thigh injury) and Ishant Sharma (side strain) all but ruled out, Navdeep Saini will certainly be the fourth pacer after Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Umesh Yadav.
Rohit Sharma returned to India's playing XI for the third Test
The Indian team landed in South Africa for the Test series, starting on December 26.
Images from Day 3 of the first Test between India and New Zealand, at Green Park, Kanpur, on Saturday.
Opener Gautam Gambhir and middle order batsman Yuvraj Singh were axed while stumper Dinesh Karthik was rewarded for his good batting form with a berth in India's 15-member squad for next month's Champions Trophy cricket tournament in England.
Should India consider bring in Umesh Yadav if the weather conditions in rain-hit Pune are conducive for pacers?
India's bowling coach Bharath Arun made it clear on Tuesday that Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav are first choices for Test matches, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah are the preferred option for the limited-overs' format.
Usman Khawaja hit an unbeaten century to give Australia the upper hand on Day 1 of the fourth and final Test against India in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
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