Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, believes that India are the team with a point to prove going into the three-Test series starting in Centurion on Thursday. "If you're going to be No. 1 in the world you have to be convincing all around the world and beat people in their own backyards. That's what Australia did consistently. The pressure will be on India," Smith said at a press conference in Centurion on Wednesday.
Although Corrie van Zyl, South Africa's coach, and some of the other players have talked down the importance of the rankings, Smith echoed the thoughts of many who believe that India have to win in South Africa to justify their label as the world's top-ranked Test team. Smith believes South Africa are in an ideal space to challenge India. "We've been touching the No. 1 and 2 spot for the past two-and-a-half-years and we've played some good cricket around the world. We pride ourselves on big series like this one." Unless they sweep the series, South Africa can't overtake India at the top of the rankings, but they're more interested in asserting their dominance than the label itself.
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