South Africa will again be without their frontline fast bowler Kagiso Rabada, who has been ruled out of the second Test against India starting in Guwahati on Saturday.

The pacer has not fully recovered from the rib injury he sustained during a training session ahead of the series opener, which the visitors won by 30 runs in Kolkata.

Confirming Rabada’s unavailability, South Africa captain Temba Bavuma said the team would assess conditions on match morning before deciding on his replacement.

He described the Barsapara Stadium surface as a fresh and more consistent wicket compared to Kolkata, adding that it reflected typical sub continental behaviour with the first two days expected to favour batting before spinners come into the contest.

The Guwahati venue is hosting a Test for the first time, making the pitch an untested challenge for both sides.

The focus in the build up has been on the amount of grass on the red soil track.

"As far as the pitch is concerned, I had a look at it this morning. It's still two days to go, so it's difficult to predict if they will shave off more grass or not. That will obviously make a difference," South Africa’s bowling coach Piet Botha said.

He observed that early signs pointed to a good batting surface initially with spin likely to play a role later in the game.

"But we'll have to wait and see-maybe it starts earlier, given what happened in the previous Test," he noted.

Botha also stressed the importance of the new ball due to the earlier start.

"The game starts at 9 o'clock, so it will be a little cooler. Nights are quite hot, but there will be a bit more moisture. I think the first hour will be important for the new ball. For how long, we're not sure," he said.

On the toss, the bowling coach said, "If the wicket is good for batting, then batting first is a good option. But if it's like Kolkata, it hardly matters."