9:22pm Suryakumar walks over to collect the trophy, and once he has posed for the initial picture, he asks for the trophy to be handed over to Ramandeep, Vijaykumar Vyshak and Yash Dayal, stood at the centre of their team gathering. And now, the celebrations start. India will be proud of what they have accomplished on this tour, and a 3-1 score-line does them complete justice.
That also brings to an end our coverage of this match and this series. We hope you enjoyed it just as much as we loved bringing it to you. Until next time, this is goodbye from Vairavan and myself. Take care, folks!
Tilak Varma, is the Player of the Match and the Player of the Series: (On his hundred today) Last year when I played, I got out first-ball here. This was a crucial knock for the team (in the context of the series). I just wanted to hold my shape and back myself, and stick to my basics. I was calm and was just trying to follow the basics. It is an unbelievable feeling. I never imagined I would score two hundreds - that too in South Africa, and I cannot express (my feelings). I want to thank God and my captain Suryakumar Yadav. (On his celebrations) I was injured for the last couple of months, and I was just believing in my processes and when I got my hundred, I just pointed towards God.
Suryakumar Yadav, India captain: There is no secret to adapting to the conditions and situations. Our plans were very clear. Last time when we came here, we played the same brand of cricket and wanted to continue that. The game today, we spoke about it and we wanted to follow those good habits. Didn't think about the results and it happened automatically. (On their batting) It is very difficult for me to choose between the two. It was amazing batting skills displayed by them (Abhishek, Sanju and Tilak). We spoke about it and they walked the talk. (On their bowling) We knew there is something definitely in the wicket after the lights come on and the temperature drops. We just followed that, stuck to our lines and the result was right in front of us. It gives a big boost (after winning an ICC tournament), winning from where we won. It was incredible the way we won that. Coming into this series…it is always challenging to come here and to win and go back home. This is a special win and will stay with me forever. (On the support staff) They were just sitting and enjoying the show since the first day. They spoke to the boys, and told us to run the show. Even today, the message was loud and clear: to do what we wanted, even if it was winning the toss and batting first.
Aiden Markram, South Africa captain: Quite hard (to sum up today). Completely outplayed in all three aspects. We wanted to level the series but could not put a game together. With bat and ball, they put us under pressure. Some good honest reflections need to take place now. (On the extras they gave away) Nowadays, you can't just be hitting the stumps. You have to use the wide lines. I suppose you are happy with one or two but we wanted to get better at execution, and keep moving in the right direction (as a team). Maybe not 15 wides, just two or three. Hopefully in the long run, moving towards 2026, we can get that right. (How they pick themselves up) I suppose, as a white-ball team, we will have a good reflection and can get stuck into some work, and come back better players, with better skills and with better execution. Down to each individual to see which direction their game can go and invest in it. (On the positives) Marco Jansen was incredible. Gerald Coetzee as well. It is tough in the Highveld with the extra pace but the never-say-die attitude from them was really good.
Varun Chakravarthy: The last two matches have been challenging. We tried to plan and execute whatever we planned. Even though a few sixes were hit, we knew one miscue could get us a wicket. We went with three spinners throughout the series and it worked for us. Me and Bishnoi, we set up a partnership and it is coming good. The best approach was to stay away from the arc. I bowled a few short balls as well, and that actually worked for me.
9:10pm Stick around, folks. We will bring the quotes from the post-match presentation shortly.
9pm If ever there was a one-sided contest, this was it. India plundered and plundered South Africa in the first innings and then, found excessive movement with the new ball. Arshdeep set the tone, removing Hendricks in the first over, before accounting for Markram and Klaasen soon after. Pandya was also unplayable at times and if India's batting innings did not deflate South Africa, their bowling display in the first four overs certainly did. Axar, Bishnoi and Ramandeep also found themselves among the wickets, along with the dependable Chakravarthy.
As for South Africa, well, everything that could have gone wrong for them went wrong. They lost the toss and had to hunt leather for 20 overs. And when their turn came to bat, they were flummoxed by India's dexterity with the new ball. Miller and Stubbs were the only two batters to go past 30, and only four of their batters made it to double-digits, with South Africa only finishing 28 runs ahead of Tilak Varma's individual score. And while that may seem a rather damning assessment, it is also what captures their plight today most accurately.
L Sipamla c Patel b Ramandeep Singh 3 (5m 4b 0x4 0x6) SR: 75.00
Ramandeep to bowl out. He has SA's No.11 in his sights
END OF OVER:18 | 5 Runs 1 Wkt | SA: 146/9 (138 runs required from 12 balls, RR: 8.11, RRR: 69.00)
- Marco Jansen29 (12b)
- Lutho Sipamla1 (2b)
- Axar Patel2-0-6-2
- Ramandeep Singh3-0-40-0
Sipamla is the last batter in
KA Maharaj c Tilak Varma b Patel 6 (10m 8b 0x4 0x6) SR: 75.00
END OF OVER:17 | 9 Runs | SA: 141/8 (143 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 8.29, RRR: 47.66)
- Marco Jansen25 (9b)
- Keshav Maharaj6 (7b)
- Ramandeep Singh3-0-40-0
- Axar Patel1-0-1-1
143 needed off 19. SA still not past the half-way mark of their chase
The physio checks on Bishnoi, conducts the mandatory tests and we are good to go
Ramandeep is back. Can he get himself on the board?
END OF OVER:16 | 1 Run 1 Wkt | SA: 132/8 (152 runs required from 24 balls, RR: 8.25, RRR: 38.00)
- Keshav Maharaj1 (3b)
- Marco Jansen21 (7b)
- Axar Patel1-0-1-1
- Ravi Bishnoi3-0-28-1