South Africa legend fires 'real pace test' warning at Virat Kohli and co.

Batting great Graeme Smith has said Indian batsmen will be tested by "pace and skill" of the South African fast bowlers during the upcoming three-Test series between the two top-ranked sides, starting January 5 in Cape Town.

Virat Kohli's men have risen to the top of the Test ladder, thanks to consistent results at home and in Sri Lanka and the West Indies over the last few years. The Asian giants have crushed top teams like South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia in the last 24 months.

However, the number one-ranked side are gearing up for their first major overseas tour since the 2014/15 Border Gavaskar Trophy, in which they were defeated 2-0 Down Under.

"The pace and skills of our bowlers here will be the real test for them. It will be really interesting," Smith said, as quoted by sport24.

Notably, India have not won a series yet in South Africa. Kohli's team, who are being tipped as favourites to buck the trend, will be challenged by the home team's pacers, who are known for decimating well-oiled batting line-ups.

While the likes of Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada and Morne Morkel are key members of the South African pace attack, Dale Steyn, who has not played a Test since November 2016, is working on his comeback.

Smith reveals India's key to sucess 

The former South Africa captain, who led his team to a 1-0 win in two-match Test series over MS Dhoni-led side in 2013, added it will be crucial for India's pace bowlers to step up and deliver.

Notably, the left-handed opener had been troubled by Zaheer Khan, who remained India's only threat in overseas conditions in the past.

Cut to 2017, India's pace atttack is being tipped to perform better than their predecessors. While the focus in the leadup to the much-anticipated Test tour has been on Kohli-led batting unit, quite a few former cricketers have highlighted the improved pace attack of the Asian giants.

The presence of Hardik Pandya in the six-man pace attack, consisting Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah, is expected to add balance to the side as captain Kohli will have the luxury of playing an extra batsman in challenging conditions.

"India's own pace attack will also have to do well in order for them to have success here," Smith added.

Dravid backs Team India

Meanwhile, former captain Rahul Dravid has opined India have a "great chance" to register their first-ever series win in South Africa.

"I think we have a great chance this time looking at the depth of the current side. We have got some quality quicks, we have the opportunity of playing the all-rounder (Hardik Pandya) if we need to," Dravid said.

He added: "We have got quality spinners in (Ravindra) Jadeja and (Ravichandran) Ashwin. What also excites me is that all our batsmen have been to South Africa before and they have the experience of 40-50 Tests."