South Africa's Focus Shifts to No. 1 Ranked India

Johannesburg: South Africa shifted its focus to the upcoming battle with No. 1 ranked Test team India after its players returned home from the United Arab Emirates and the drawn series with Pakistan early Thursday morning.

Cricket South Africa chief executive Gerald Majola congratulated the Proteas for a "successful" tour to the Emirates, where South Africa and Pakistan drew both Tests. South Africa won the Twenty20 and one-day series.

Ranked number two, South Africa hosts India in a mouthwatering three-Test series beginning on December 16, but could be without injured captain Graeme Smith for the first Test after South Africa's team manager Mohammed Moosajee said he faced a "race against time" to be fit.

The countries also contest five one-dayers and a Twenty20 game. Majola said CSA looks forward to "the enormously exciting" tour of South Africa by India, but there are doubts over Smith's participation in the series-opener after he fractured his left hand in an ODI game against Pakistan. He aggravated the injury during the second Test in Abu Dhabi this week and could require six weeks to recover and possibly even surgery.

Test and ODI skipper Smith did not fly into Johannesburg with the rest of the team on Thursday, instead traveling direct to Cape Town for an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon.

"It will be a race against time to get him fit for the Test series against India," South Africa team manager Mohammed Moosajee said.

Smith was initially hurt when he was hit on the hand by fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar in the first ODI on Oct. 29 and missed the next two matches. He returned for the last two one-day games and the Tests but experienced swelling and discomf98-run win in the third and final test this week.

Scores	Upcoming	Results
Australia vs India - 3rd Test West Indies vs Bangladesh - 2nd T20I 3rd T20I - West Indies v Bangladesh - December 19, 00:00 GMT 2nd ODI - Zimbabwe v Afghanistan - December 19, 07:30 GMT 1st ODI - South Africa v Pakistan at Paarl Pakistan won by 3 wickets (with 3 balls remaining) 1st ODI - Zimbabwe v Afghanistan at Harare No results

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