India's batsmen face another tough test against pace and swing in the upcoming three-Test series when they come up against a South African pace battery that comprises Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini and Morne Morkel.
Steyn will be the bowler to watch out for. The 24-year-old has shown good form in recent matches, having been named man-of-the-series against New Zealand, the West Indies and Bangladesh. His rich haul of form in the last few months has seen him scalp 54 wickets in seven matches for a tally of 105 wickets in 20 Tests overall.
On Monday, the firebrand pacer declared he is looking torment the Indian batsmen with his speed and swing.
"Once you find the recipe for success it's best to stick to it. So I won't be changing much. It's worked so far, so, hopefully, I can take that form into this Test match and the whole tour," he said.
Steyn played two Tests against India and took six wickets in the Cape Town match last January after an injury restricted him to just 10 overs in the first. He revealed that he will be looking to exploit India's weakness against the rising delivery.
"The Indians have a good side. We will do our video analysis and find the flaws and weaknesses in their batting and bowl accordingly. I'm not going to look at how good their batsmen are or at a particular batsman; I'm going to bowl to their weaknesses. I'll just take it one batter at a time," he said.
India come into the Test series high on confidence after a stupendous performance in Australia that also saw them climb to second in the rankings. They went down 2-1 in the Test series, but stormed back in the one-dayers to win the Commonwealth Bank Tri-series, beating Australia 2-0 in the finals.
South Africa are also riding high on confidence after sweeping Bangladesh 2-0. But they arrived for the Test series following controversy over team selection. Pacer Andre Nel was not picked for the India tour to fulfill the team's quota of having six non-white players in the squad, though captain Graeme Smith believes the controversy won't affect his team a bit.
The hot and humid conditions in Chennai, which witnessed rain, may make things difficult for the fast bowlers. Steyn said the team could use the pacers in short spells so they can give their best shot every time they come on to bowl.
"Depending on the day, you could possibly get in 8-10 overs in a spell. But we'll be looking to keep it short and sharp and keep the bowlers fresh," he said.
The right-arm pacer said the experienced players in the team, like Mark Boucher and Graeme Smith, briefed him about the conditions that he will encounter in India.
"We've got some good players in the side who have toured the subcontinent a few times. The conditions haven't changed too much. I've toured with Polly [Shaun Pollock] in the past, there's Graeme [Smith] and we've got Boucher behind the stumps -- who has kept to some of the best bowlers in different conditions. We all talk in the nets. The best people to speak to are probably the batsmen because they can tell you what the most difficult thing to face is.
"I'm privileged to have these experienced guys standing at slips or behind the wicket to me and they're shouting something to me in Afrikaans every ball," he said.
Steyn's entry into the South African national team was way back in 2004, but he failed to make an impression then. However, in April 2006 he made a strong comeback with a lethal spell of fast bowling against New Zealand in the first Test at Centurion. But it was not until last October that he could stake claim for a place in the team.
A nine-wicket haul in the two-Test series against Pakistan followed by 40 wickets in the home series against New Zealand and West Indies proved that Steyn had arrived.
South Africa boast of a healthy record in India, having won one series from three trips to the country. They blanked India 2-0 in 1999-00, while losing 1-0 in 2004-05 and 2-1 in 1996-97.
After a good showing against minnows Bangladesh last month, Steyn has now set his sights on India, who many believe is one of the most difficult teams to beat at home.
"There has been no pressure. That's been the beautiful thing about the season so far. Graeme has never put me under any pressure. I've been given the ball to do a job and I've been fortunate enough to be able to do it.
"We have got Morne [Morkel], Makhaya and others who can take five-fors and bowl teams out and I get the freedom to run in and take wickets. I have been given the freedom in this series too, to run in and bowl sharp, short spells and, hopefully, I can carry my form into this series. But if not there are others who can do the job," he said.
Asked if the speed gun is the real inspiration for fast bowlers, Steyn replied: "Polly [Pollock] and [Glenn] McGrath have shown that you don't really need to have speed to become the world's best bowler. But it's a good asset to have. Pace is something that doesn't come around too often and India have found some in [Ishant] Sharma and we have the potential in guys like Morne and myself."
"Again it's where you bowl the ball that counts. It's good to have pace but you have to take what McGrath and Polly did and, hopefully, add a bit of pace to it." he added.
Steyn, who is ranked second in the ICC Test ranking for bowlers -- behind Muttiah Muralitharan, will be hoping to have another good series and topple the Sri Lankan ace spinner. But, for now, his main target is getting South Africa off to a winning start in the first Test Chennai, which begins on Wednesday.
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