Nagpur: The South African team, especially their formidable pace attack, can be pardoned for sporting huge smiles as they approached the breakfast table on Thursday morning.

While the sun has shone brightly over them ever since they landed in Nagpur, and even during their practice match that concluded a day earlier, Thursday welcomed them with dark and heavy clouds that hung threateningly low. By lunchtime, they might have had a quiet snigger as the temperatures dipped and a slight drizzle took over.

With pitches expected to be flat and the key Indian batsmen having found themselves some good form in Bangladesh, there has been little good news for the South African bowlers going into the first Test until the heavens opened up ever so slightly.

"The pitch will be sporting though there is not much grass on it. But if it rains, the fast bowlers will certainly get more help because it will leave some moisture then," said one of the local ground authorities.

South African coach Corrie van Zyl meanwhile revealed that the South African team too, had paid a visit to the VCA Stadium in Jaamtha, and had taken a good look at the all-important centre wicket. "It certainly does not have the kind of grass that we saw during our practice game," he said with a smile.

The Indian team meanwhile - Abhimanyu Mithun included this time - indulged in another strenuous practice session before the drizzle.

The VCA Stadium has witnessed a number of limited-over matches in the last few months - two ODIs, against Australia and Sri Lanka, and a T20 game against the Lankans, but the only time it hosted a Test match did produce a result.

Most locals, though, still believe that the weather will not have too much of a say during the contest, and even if it did ,the quick-drying conditions of the VCA Stadium will ensure that not much play is lost.