Van der Dussen’s debut Down Under

With no experience playing Test cricket in Australia, Proteas batsman Rassie van der Dussen will go into the three-match Test series on a clean slate.

The 33-year-old has been on the sidelines for a the past few months, recovering from surgery on his left index finger. He feels he is ready to give 100% to help his team in what will be a challenging tour Down Under.

Van der Dussen broke his left index finger during the second Test against England in October, leading to his omission from the Proteas squads for the final Test of their UK tour and the T20 World Cup in Australia.

Now fully recovered, the middle-order batsman is keen to get some game time.

“It is good to be back in the camp and great to be among the boys again. This will be a huge tour.

“I have been recovering for the past three months after having an operation on my digit, so it has been a bit frustrating, but the time off, and time at home was good. and now I am 100% ready to go,” he said in an interview with the Cricket SA media team.

Van der Dussen admitted the first few weeks of his recovery had been quite frustrating, but he is happy to get back to doing what he loves.

“The first two to three weeks were frustrating because I could not really do anything. It is a finger. You don’t realise how much you use it until you can’t.

“The first month was quite tough, but it also built that hunger to be in the camp again. Being at home, the rest and recuperation were needed.

“We have two weeks of preparation [ahead] of that first Test and I am just really happy to be back,” he said.

Having never played in Australia, Van der Dussen likened the pace and bounce in the pitches to that of his home ground, the Wanderers in Johannesburg, where he plays domestically for the Lions.

“I may not have played here before, but I don’t think it would be too foreign for me, so I will be looking to work on the game plans that I have implemented back home and have been successful for me, then try to take that forward.

“It is going to be a tough series physically and mentally, so if I can get the technical game in order, then the mental side will be important in hostile Australia as well,” the righthander said.

On making his bow Down Under, Van der Dussen said being able to play against one of the Proteas’ biggest rivals, on their home patch, is a bucketlist item.

“A lot of the guys have been on previous SA A and Test tours, where both sides have had success, so they come here with a lot of good memories, but for me, it is a clean slate.

“Growing up, I can remember getting up at 2am to watch Test cricket with my brothers and family. So to be here is surreal, definitely a bucket-list moment and I am keen to take everything in and give it my all if I get on the park.”*