Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 13(ANI): Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith emphasised the importance of getting off to a strong start in the upcoming Test series against India, saying the Kolkata pitch offers good batting conditions but warned that teams falling behind in the subcontinent often find it tough to recover.

South Africa, the World Test champions, will engage in an enticing battle with India on Friday, as Test cricket returns to Eden Gardens after six years.

Sharing his views during an SA20 event in Mumbai about the upcoming series, Smith said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo, 'I'm hoping that with the first Test in Kolkata, it's generally quite a good place to bat, get good value for runs. It's a stadium that, especially when it's full, will really motivate the South Africans to perform well. I think it's crucial on these types of tours that you start well. If you get behind the game in the subcontinent, it's very difficult to fight your way back. And the batters in particular are going to really have to step up,' Graeme Smith said at an SA20 event in Mumbai.'

Further, the former left-hand batter stated that the visitors' top order will play a crucial role in setting up the innings during the upcoming Test series in India, stressing the need for a solid start before facing the hosts' spinners.

'The South African team will definitely be preparing for how they're going to handle spin. But getting off to a solid start in your top three that can lay a platform for you [is crucial]; there's nothing worse than if you go two or three down and then the spinners come on and you're against the game already,' he added.

In the end, the 44-year-old said South Africa possesses strong spin options in Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer, who he believes can control the game and pose a genuine threat in Indian conditions.

'I think South Africa arrived here with a decent bowling attack, especially in the spin department. [Keshav] Maharaj and [Simon] Harmer can definitely do damage; they can control the game, and they have the ability to turn the ball, which are wicket-taking options with spin, and then to see how [Kagiso] Rabada and the likes handle reverse swing. But I think there are good spin options for Temba [Bavuma] to use as well,' the southpaw concluded.

Test Squads:

India: Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper) (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep.

South Africa: Temba Bavuma (captain), Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne, Dewald Brevis, Zubayr Hamza, Tony de Zorzi, Corbin Bosch, Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Senuran Muthusamy, Kagiso Rabada, Simon Harmer. (ANI)