South Africa secured a historic Test series win before losing the ODI and T20 series on their five-week tour.
Despite losing two of the three series they played, head coach Shukri Conrad was pleased with the overall results on the Proteas’ tour of India which concluded in Ahmedabad on Friday.
In the Test series at the start of the five-week tour, they earned a historic 2-0 victory, securing South Africa’s first series win in the five-day format in India in 25 years.
Then, India triumphed 2-1 in the one-day international (ODI) series, and while the first two games were closely contested, the hosts dominated the final fixture.
This was followed by India taking a 3-1 win in the T20 series (the fourth match was abandoned due to excessive smog in Lucknow earlier this week), though the Proteas did secure a comfortable 51-run victory in the second clash in New Chandigarh.
“It’s been a wonderful tour. In the three formats, we started off brilliantly in the Test series, and then took it to a decider in the one-dayers, and then we had an opportunity tonight to level the T20 series,” Conrad said after the home team wrapped up a 30-run T20 victory in Ahmedabad on Friday.
“It’s an incredible place to come and tour. You learn a lot about yourself and the game… and all-in-all I think it was a very successful tour. I’m really happy with the outcomes.”
Looking ahead to T20 World Cup
Conrad was pleased to have had a chance to play four T20 games in India, with the sub-continent nation hosting the T20 World Cup (along with Sri Lanka) in February and March next year.
He admitted, however, that the Proteas needed to sharpen up, and he was glad the squad members would have opportunities to prepare for the World Cup in the SA20 competition starting next week, as well as a three-match series against West Indies at home starting at the end of January.
While they were defeated by a powerful India side in their T20 series, Conrad remained confident the Proteas could reach the World Cup final again, and he predicted a repeat of the trophy contest between SA and India which was played at the global spectacle in Barbados last year.
“We’ve got some work to do still, there’s no doubt, but the good thing is that the boys have got month of SA20 coming up, and I think that will also be really good prep in honing their skills to ensure when the West Indies arrive on our shores we are ready for that. And then obviously the World Cup is the big thing,” Conrad said.
“So whilst we didn’t get the results we wanted here in the series, I’d like to think this might be the finalists in the next World Cup as well. I certainly hope so.”
