After losing the three-match series 3-0 as India won the final Test by an innings and 202 runs, South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis on Tuesday said that the Indian team were better than Proteas in batting.
India skipper Virat Kohli won the toss in all three matches of the series and opted to bat and scored massive runs on the board each time.
"They were better than us as a batting unit. Exceptional ruthlessness in the way they put massive scores on the board and that is one of the reasons why mentally we were probably so weak towards the end," Plessis told reporters in a post-match press conference.
Plessis also hailed the Indian seamers as they picked 20 wickets each time in the series and said South Africa have to learn 'how to ball' from them
"I thought why the Indian seamers especially showed the South African fast bowling attack how to ball and that speaks a lot about the way they bowled in this series. The pace they bowled, the consistency, and skill they showed outclassed us as a fast bowling attack," Plessis said.
"When we play in the subcontinent our style of bowling is not successful and we have to adapt your style of bowling. Obviously, someone like Dale Steyn was effective in subcontinent conditions because he does similar and has a similar skill set. He is a skiddy bowler and hits the stumps," he added.
Speaking about his team's performance, Plessis said this is a very young side and they are in their transition period.
"I think the same things apply to this team if you look at is a very very young team. How I see my journey on falling with a team is to help that transition period. Graeme Smith was a successful captain for a very long time and after that, there was like what now?" Plessis said.
India managed to clean sweep South Africa in a Test series for the first time.
"It's been a really tough series for us but we need to ensure that when we tour again, we are better equipped. This is the toughest place to tour, the statistics say that. They've won, 11 or 12 series in a row? So, it's been a very tough place to tour and it should only get better for us from here," Plessis said.
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