Smith: 'Patience is the key'

South Africa's captain, Graeme Smith, has brushed over his team's poor start to their tour of India, and insists that their preparations for Saturday's first Test at Kanpur are coming on fine.

South Africa did not enjoy the ideal warm-up game, against an Indian Board President's XI at Jaipur, as they came within two wickets of defeat. It was left to Smith and an injured Jacques Kallis to bat out for the draw, but afterwards, Smith was quick to focus on the positives.

"I wouldn't say that we had a disappointing start," he told AFP after the match, "as we declared our first innings with six wickets down and then tried our batting around in the second innings. In fact, I thought the Indian team did not play positively enough, or else we would have had a result in the match."

It was nonetheless an important lesson in how to pace a performance on the subcontinent, and Smith added that patience would be the key for his side in the coming weeks. "You can't get runs at a rate like in Australia or South Africa," he said. "One has to come to terms with this fact and try to adjust to the conditions."

"We have a lot of guys who are talented," added Smith. "They may not have records like [Sachin] Tendulkar but they have potential and need to show it in the Tests. The advantage of having young guys in the team is that they are not scared of anything. The idea is to try to adjust fast, enjoy the game and make the most of opportunities that come your way."

South Africa were famously victorious in their last series in India in 1999-2000, although it is a much less experienced squad this time around. Veterans such as Jonty Rhodes, Allan Donald and Gary Kirsten are long gone, while Herschelle Gibbs and Nicky Boje have both opted to stay at home because of the ongoing investigation into match-fixing.

"Our players have studied the conditions and have worked hard in the nets," added Smith. "We are in the process of cementing ideas and the way we plan to play, but will surely have to drive harder in the Tests."