AHMEDABAD, Feb 26 (PTI): The series may be already in their pocket but India coach Gary Kirsten today said they will settle nothing less than a clean sweep against South Africa and Sudeep Tyagi will replace injured Praveen Kumar in the third and final one-dayer here tomorrow.
�We take every game seriously and looking forward to a clean sweep. It is great to have a lot of young players in the side and it is a good opportunity for them to prove their mettle. The more these players respond in a pressure situation the better for Indian cricket,� Kirsten said in the pre-match press conference.
�Sudeep got two games in Bangladesh and he is playing tomorrow as well. So we are just trying to give every one a chance but on the day of the game we will choose the best combination,� he added.
It will be the only the fourth match at the international level for the 22-year-old Uttar Pradesh bowler despite travelling with the team for quite some time.
Kirsten said the absence of several regular players, including Sachin Tendulkar, gives an opportunity to the younger lot to show their mettle.
�It�s a big opportunity for the younger players like Virat Kohli and Dinesh Karthik and others to show what they can do. We need to have competition for every place and we have an exceptional group of nine or 10 batsmen,� he said.
Kirsten said the team management was yet to finalise the core pace bowling attack.
�We continue to work on that and in a year or so we have found few young talents. We have tried eight or nine seamers and that is one area we have not yet decided as who our core four-five bowlers will be,� he said.
Kirsten was extremely happy with the way his boys have performed in the Test and one-day formats of the game but was not pleased with the performance in the Twenty20 games.
�I am very satisfied with the performance and it has been a great season for Team India. We have achieved the No. 1 ranking in Test and No. 2 in one-day. Hence, we can be proud of our performance.�
The former South African opener will take a break after tomorrow�s match but said he would be in touch with his wards when they will be busy playing the Indian Premier League.
�With T20 World Cup around, we are looking to make a decent side with a mix of seniors and players who can perform well at the international stage.
�As a coach it never ends. I will be taking a break after the series and be with my family but will keep a close eye on the IPL. You always need to keep a tab on what�s happening and who�s performing.
�In the past year we have not been doing well in T20s. We have some work to do in the T20 game. I will be preparing for this form of the game for the T20 World Cup (in the West Indies from April 300,� he said.
