Winning 3-0 against India shows some good signs for team, says Mark Boucher

South Africa head coach Mark Boucher feels that the series win against India has shown good signs for the team and it will give a lot of confidence to the players.

Half-centuries by Virat Kohli (65), Shikhar Dhawan (61), and Deepak Chahar (54) went in vain as India suffered a heartbreaking four-run loss against South Africa in the third and final ODI here at Newlands, Cape Town. With this win, the Proteas won the ODI series 3-0.

"We wanted to win 3-0. We have been through odd times and I think that once you have been through odd times then you appreciate the good times. So, we appreciate this but our feet will be firmly on the ground. Today, to be brutally honest, I thought we will probably let it slip with the bat. I think we got too hot too early, as I thought we were 20-25 runs short. Then we went ahead in the game wiith the ball. It's not easy to learn these lessons while you are still winning. It was a tight game. On any other day, we wouldn't have been given any other opportunity to get back into the game. But the team will take a lot of confidence. Winning 3-0 is really special and shows good signs to come for this team," said Boucher during a virtual press conference.

Earlier, Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen played knocks of 124 and 52 as South Africa posted 287 runs on the board. For India, Prasidh Krishna returned with three wickets.

"If you look at Quinny (de Kock) as a person, he is freed his mind up, that's when he plays his best cricket. It's just great to see him come out and play the way we know he can play. He has got a sort of freedom about his game. Look, you can't have all six of your batters playing like that but you can certainly have one or two. You can guide them to play wuth their freedom. It's great to see Quinny back and smiling again. Now he has got a daugher, so he might be going back to her. It's unfortunate that he retired from the Test cricket but it has freed him in the other formats," said Boucher.

When asked about the tough conditions on the ground, the head coach said, "We didn't expect the wickets to play the way they did. I think the heat wave which kept on coming on the grounds of Paarl and Cape Town added to that. It's not the fault of the groundsmen but we have done a lot of hardwork to play in the subcontinent conditions. You saw when we went to Sri Lanka that we played spin very well. I will agree to the fact that we have got good spinners now, we have a good couple of options even as a batting all-rounder."

"Didn't surprise me that the guys played the way they did because it's just the lot of hardwork paying off and a bit of confidence as well that picked, not in Sri Lanka but the World Cup as well. I think it's a big plus point in our camp that the way the guys played spin and our bowlers bowled spin. In every game, we are playing and bowling with the spinning perspective," he added.

India had lost the Test series 1-2 against South Africa as well.

India will next lock horns West Indies in three ODIs and three T20Is.