Slow and steady wins the race: The men to watch out for

Anil Kumble

The world’s third-highest wicket-taker, Kumble is India’s best match-winner. He has a phenomenal 62 wickets in the last 13 Test matches, of which only three were played in home conditions, where he is at his best. The skipper, getting better with age, had grabbed 18 wickets in the last Test series played at home against Pakistan. Against South Africa, Kumble has 80 wickets from 19 matches with three five-wicket hauls and a miserly economy rate of 2.34.

Paul Harris

The left-arm spinner was South Africa’s highest wicket-taker during the tour of Pakistan. In two Tests, played at Karachi and Lahore — not the friendliest venues for spinners — Harris got 12 wickets at an average of 20.66, leaving the likes of Dale Steyn and Makhaya Ntini behind. He will be SA’s biggest hope in the series, and with memories of his match-winning spell at Cape Town against India last year, he is excited about bowling in conditions that will suit him better.

Robin Peterson

A left-arm bowler who recently claimed his Test-best of 6-94 against Bangladesh, Peterson is a finger spinner with over 100 first-class wickets and had toured India with the one-day team in 2004-05. He was picked ahead of Johan Botha, another off-spinner who has shown potential in domestic cricket. But the Proteas have decided to opt for one genuine slow bowler, with Smith, Prince and Amla expected to assist Harris in Chennai.