KANPUR, Nov 19: South Africa skipper Grame Smith believes his young team are ready to pull off an upset against India in their Test series starting here on Saturday.

"They are the favourites but ours is a young and highly motivated side with players who want to prove a few people wrong," said Smith on the eve of the first of two Tests at the Green Park Stadium.

"Motivation is our strength," said Smith, who took over from Shaun Pollock after last year's World Cup when hosts South Africa failed to go beyond the first round.

"We have had good preparation at nets and in the practice game in Jaipur," said Smith, who has the experience of leading the side twice before to the sub-continent on tours of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

"The pitch here is going to be good for batting and at some point in time for spin bowling and I am looking forward to some good cricket," said the 23-year-old left-handed batsman.

Smith, here with a young team after opener Herschelle Gibbs and left-arm spinner Nicky Boje withdrew with fears over detention by police due to match-fixing allegations, felt it was a good chance for youngsters.

"There is no doubt we will miss top players like Gibbs and Boje but then there are others hoping to prove themselves," said Smith. Gibbs and Boje figure prominently in the match-fixing case that has been investigated by Delhi Police since their last tour here in 2000.

"We are not concerned about who are not here in our team or what India's results have been in recent series but are just focusing on doing our best in the days ahead," he said.

India, reeling from a rare home Test series defeat to Australia, were hoping to get back to winning ways. "Every series is important for us and we want to win as much as possible," said skipper Saurav Ganguly, who has been allowed by the ICC to play in the first Test awaiting a final verdict on a two-match suspension on him.

Ganguly, who was punished for his team's slow over-rate in a one-dayer against Pakistan in Calcutta last week, got respite after the Indian board appealed against the ban citing heavy dew at the ground as the reason.

The stylish left-hander is due to hold a teleconference with Tim Castle of New Zealand on Nov 25, after which the verdict will be announced. "South Africa may be an inexperienced side but they are a team of quality players and can't be taken lightly," said Ganguly, India's most successful Test captain.

Ganguly said they had still not decided whether they would play two spinners or three on the pitch here which is expected to take turn, which meant spinner Murali Kartik could be left out.

Left-armer Kartik was man of the match in India's last Test against Australia but experienced leg-spinner Anil Kumble and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh are generally preferred to him. The second and final Test will be played in Calcutta from November 28.

India (from): Saurav Ganguly (capt), Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Venkatsai Laxman, Dinesh Karthik, Mohammad Kaif, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Murali Kartik, Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra.

South Africa (from): Graeme Smith (capt), Hashim Amla, Zander de Bruyn, Boeta Dippenaar, Andrew Hall, Jacques Kallis, Makhaya Ntini, Justin Ontong, Robin Peterson, Shaun Pollock, Jacques Rudolph, Thami Tsolekile, Alfonso Thomas, Martin van Jaarsveld. -AFP