'We won't lack in intensity'

Indian captain Virat Kohli said his team might test its bench strength in the sixth and final ODI against South Africa on Friday but asserted that intensity won’t be lacking despite the match’s dead-rubber status.

India secured their first ever series win in South Africa across formats on Tuesday when they beat the hosts by 73 runs in the fifth ODI.

“After this series is wrapped up we’ll sit down and think about where to improve. For now, 4-1 feels great. We want to win 5-1, for sure, but there might be a scenario for a few more guys to get a chance in the next match,” Kohli said.

“But the ultimate priority is to win and we’ll do anything we can to win,” he added.

The performance of Kohli and wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal stood out but the captain said the series win was the result of a team effort.

“I’m very pleased, it was another complete performance from us,” he said.

“They (South Africa) had the pressure of losing this series and we knew that. Ever since the third Test in Johannesburg, it’s been a good time for us. It’s been a collective effort to create history,” he added.

Kohli felt the series win has laid a strong platform for the country’s hopes of a successful 2019 World Cup campaign

“We are a team that always wants to think of ways we can improve and after this tour we will look be to even stronger keeping the 2019 World Cup in mind,” he said.

Depleted team

South African stand-in captain Aiden Markram said his depleted team was outplayed by India in the series. Regular captain Faf du Plessis was ruled out due to a finger injury after the first ODI while AB de Villiers was not fit to take part in the first three games.

Wicket-keeper batsman Quinton de Kock too got injured in the middle of the series.

“Firstly, credit goes to India. Our batting wasn’t up to scratch. You struggle to build momentum when you lose wickets. They’ve got their game plans nailed so credit to how they’ve played,” said Markram.

Barring one game, the South African batsmen struggled against Indian spinners and that made a huge difference to the outcome of the series.

“I do believe we’ve played their spinners progressively better in the series. It’s a learning process. There’s still a lot of pride to play for now and we’re gonna look to bounce back and end the series on a positive note,” added Markram.

The final ODI takes place in Centurion on Friday.