Though disappointed that the winning streak was brought to an end in Bangalore, skipper Graeme Smith said his team still hopes to become the first South African squad to win a one-day international series on Indian soil.
"We were disappointed to lose after 20 games. But our main target is to win the series. We want to be the first South African team to win a ODI series here," Smith said on the eve of the fourth one-dayer at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Friday.
Undeterred by India's valiant comeback into the series at Bangalore, Smith said, "I don't think the momentum is with India. Tomorrow's game is a fresh call. Our confidence is still way up there. Hopefully, we will be able to win the match."
The tourists, who fell just short of a world record of remaining unbeaten in maximum number of ODI matches on the trot, said, "When you come that close, you want to go all the way. But the record is not going to bother us too much if we can win the series."
He said "winning the toss would be crucial" tomorrow.
"We are just going to concentrate on our game. If we can do that, we will be able to put pressure on India."
The Eden wicket, he said, looked different from that of Bangalore, where the ball turned too much and the pitch was not conducive for an international one-dayer.
"The wicket looks good. There is a little more grass than expected. If the wicket behaves well, it will be a really good game," Smith said, dismissing a possible action-replay by the Indian spinners on this track.
To a question, he said with the series evenly poised at 1-1, "We are looking at the next two games as two big finals."
Asked if there would be any special strategy for in-form youngsters Irfan Pathan and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Smith replied: "In a team of 12, you can't take anyone for granted. No one is more important than others. For us, every guy is equally important. We are just going to concentrate on our own game."
The super-substitute rule, he felt, gave additional advantage to the team winning the toss.
"You need to rethink on that so that the super-sub can be chosen after the toss to balance the advantage to either side."
About the new-look SA squad, the skipper said though the services of former greats like Alan Donald was missing, "I think there are a few players who can match up to his record one day. We have also left some experienced players back home. We are basically looking for a squad for 2007 (World Cup)."
With Kolkata holding a special place for South Africa as it marked a re-birth of their cricket in the post-apartheid era in the 1991 series, Smith said, "It's always a good occasion to play here. It's going to be a massive experience for our youngsters. This is a rainbow team, part of a new culture. Hopefully we will be able to win here tomorrow."
Smith said the pressure on the national team to perform well is the same all around the world like that in India.
