South African captain Faf du Plessis was surprised to see brown grass on the pitch that will be used for the second Test against India, starting at SuperSport Park on Saturday. But there were no surprises for Indian captain Virat Kohli. "It looks a really lively pitch," Kohli said at his pre-Test press conference on Friday. "We expected it and we wanted it to be that way. Both teams are into the contest and will have to play some good cricket." Kohli made it clear he would welcome another no-holds-barred battle in conditions as tough as they were in Cape Town, where South Africa won the first Test by 72 runs. "We were pretty happy with the wicket and the way it played in Cape Town, it gave us many opportunities to stay in the game," said Kohli. "This pitch will again test us to play our best cricket and that is something we are looking forward to."

Proteas skipper Du Plessis said he expected pace and bounce but admitted he was not sure how the pitch would play. "It looks browner than I thought it would be," he said. "What I got from the groundsman was that it was burnt from the heat. Last week was very hot." Although Centurion is Du Plessis' home ground, he said the pitch looked unusual. "There is a thick layer of brown grass so it's not something we're used to seeing. For us at the moment it's unknown."