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SA U19s ready to fight back in second Youth Test

Cape Town - The South Africa under-19s will be looking to level the series when the second Youth Test match gets underway against India in Trivandrum on Tuesday.

The home side currently leads the two-match series one-nil following their nine-wicket triumph in the opening clash.

With the side having endured a tough first outing in the subcontinent conditions, captain Matthew Montgomery is excited to see what the second encounter will present. He said his side is ready for the approaching battle and is prepared to give India a stronger challenge.

"We are keen to bounce back," he said following their training session on Monday. "We might have a few changes to our side, so that will be nice, with a few guys making their debuts. We hope that they can bring something new.

"Now that we've had a bit of experience, playing in the Indian conditions, we can come back stronger and give them a good fight."

With only two practice sessions between the four-day fixtures, Montgomery said the team used the three days to recover and work on the mental side of their game.

"The biggest thing was patience," he explained. "We need to be able to control our energies, especially in the heat here in India. Switching on and off, relaxing when the game is not in play but when the ball gets bowled or you are in the field, you need to switch on in those important moments."

The 18-year old, who led the SA U19s on debut in the first game and went on to notch up a maiden half-century (57 off 109 balls, 8 fours) in the first innings, believes their opponents showed their class in last week’s match but says the gap between opponents wasn’t truly reflected in outcome of the match.

"They are very good," he admitted. "The results in the first game didn’t show the competition between the two sides, so we need to come out in the second Test and really give them a run for their money."

The upcoming match will be taking place at the newly-revamped 50 000 seat Greenfield International stadium in Kerala. It hosted the 5th One-Day International between India and West Indies in November 2018, with the home side claiming a convincing nine-wicket triumph.

"It's beautiful," Montgomery exclaimed. "There's quite an aura about it. For me, it is the biggest stadium I have ever played in for a cricket ground. All the boys are very excited. I am sure it will be very daunting at first but once we get into it, it should be fine. We can't wait."

The first ball will be bowled at 06:00 CAT on Tuesday, February 26, with live scoring available on CSA's social media platforms.

Coca-Cola South Africa under-19s squad:

Matthew Montgomery (captain, Dolphins), Luke Beaufort (Warriors), Jonathan Bird (Cape Cobras), Achille Cloete (Cape Cobras), Jarred Jardine (Highveld Lions), Marco Jansen (Highveld Lions), Thamsanqa Kumalo (Dolphins), Bonga Makaka (Cape Cobras), Andile Mogakane (Dolphins), Kgaudise Molefe (Highveld Lions), Lifa Ntanzi (Dolphins), Bryce Parsons (Highveld Lions), Siya Plaatjie (Cape Cobras), Ruan Terblanche (Cape Cobras), Nonelela Yikha (Warriors)

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