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'SA wary of Indian backlash,' says Kallis

Leading South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis on Friday warned of a backlash by Sachin Tendulkar's men as his team prepared to open their month-long tour of India.

"The Indians are keen to do well and bounce back," Kallis said ahead of the three-day tour opener against the Board President's team at the Brabourne stadium in Bombay on Saturday.

Kallis said India will be tough to beat at home despite a disastrous tour of Australia where they were blanked 3-0 in the Test series and lost seven of their eight one-day internationals.

By contrast, South Africa are coming off a 2-1 Test win over England and victory in the triangular one-day series that also featured Zimbabwe.

Kallis revealed his team is studying video tapes of the Indians, who have not lost a Test series at home since 1987.

Kallis was not in the team when South Africa suffered a 2-1 defeat on their last tour of India in 1996.

The first Test of the current series will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Bombay from February 24-28, followed by the second at Bangalore from March 2 to 6.

While the tourists tune up for the Tests, the spotlight will be on former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin, who will turn out for the President's team.

The 36-year-old was a controversial omission for the Australian tour, reportedly unwanted by captain Sachin Tendulkar and coach Kapil Dev.

But India's dismal performance, followed by a string of good scores in domestic cricket by Azharuddin, have forced the selectors to fall back on the stylish batsman. It is unlikely that even Tendulkar and Kapil will be able to keep Azharuddin out of the Tests if he performs well in the three-day match.

The home team includes two other discards, captain Ajay Jadeja and wicket-keeper Nayan Mongia, who are hoping to find favour again with the selectors.

Jadeja missed the Australian tour with a shoulder injury, while Mongia was dropped in favour of younger wicket-keepers like Mannava Prasad and Sameer Dighe.