South Africa could feel short-changed in overcast conditions

On Thursday morning, it seemed as if the Chinnaswamy Stadium was staging a wedding reception. Like a buffet tent on a lawn, a white canopy stood on stilts in the middle of the ground, protecting the pitch. Rain has lashed Bangalore incessantly over the last week and a half. It has eased a little over the last 24 hours, allowing the ground staff to get the covers off and ready the surface for the second India-South Africa Test, with the security of a roof over their heads.

By 3pm, the sun began to break through the clouds. The canvas roof came off the stilts. K Sriram, the Karnataka State Association curator, was confident the surface would be in "very good playing condition" in time for the match.

The rain has not hampered preparations that much. Work on the pitch, which hasn't been used since the IPL, began as early as November 1, with two layers of covers protecting the square when the downpour was at its heaviest.

Two days before the match, the pitch had an uneven scattering of grass and the bare areas were a slightly darker shade than normal, perhaps suggestive of residual moisture from all the sweating under the covers. It remains to be seen how much sun will shine upon it over the next 36 hours or so. Mohali produced a square turner; how will Bangalore play? Spinners like the sun beating down hard, baking the pitch, drying it up, and making it more amenable to wear and tear.

Nonetheless, AB de Villiers said South Africa were "expecting turning wickets, wherever we go. I'm prepared for any kind of Bangalore wicket. We know it's going to turn. It's not going to be" - and here he drew double quotes in the air - "a Wanderers wicket."

It is likely much of the grass cover will disappear by the time the match begins. But if the clouds don't relent and the weather remains as it has over the last couple of days - chilly with a touch of mugginess - there could be swing through the air, particularly in the morning session. Ordinarily, South Africa would relish that prospect, but Vernon Philander is out of the tour with a freak ankle twist and Dale Steyn is still in doubt after suffering a groin strain during the Mohali Test.

With both teams at full strength, there is a considerable quality gap between the two pace attacks. Without Philander and potentially Steyn, the gap is not as wide. Morne Morkel, a hit-the-deck bowler who does not necessarily rely on swing, is himself returning from injury, while Kagiso Rabada and Kyle Abbott, of whose quality there is little doubt, have the combined experience of four Test matches. India's pace attack, meanwhile, will be strengthened by the return of Ishant Sharma.

A lot could change by the time the Test begins. But it is possible South Africa might find themselves short of resources in their biggest area of strength, at the venue on this tour with conditions most favourable to that strength.