Centurion: South African skipper AB de Villiers said his team is proud of beating the world number one ODI side 2-0 in the just-concluded series but should not rest on its laurels as the upcoming Tests will be a "different ballgame" altogether.
South Africa beat India by 141 runs in the first ODI at Johannesburg and then inflicted a 136-run defeat in Durban, before the third ODI at Centurion was washed out.
"We were very keen to get a result tonight," he said after the abandonment.
"We wanted to maintain our momentum, since we have been playing some good cricket. We didn't start well today but we recovered to get runs on board, which could have allowed us to exert pressure once again.
"So we were very keen to go out there and try our skills against a strong Indian batting line up. It would have been a strong batting run-chase I think. It's a shame it finished like that. But we are happy with the 2-0 result."
The hosts had scored 301 for 8 in 50 overs and the match was abandoned without the Men in Blue facing a single delivery.
"It was important to win this series. We played against the number one ranked team in the world, and we need to play well in our home conditions to beat them. We are very proud of the way we handled the big moments and came out on top," de Villiers added.
Now that the first part of the tour is done, the longer format takes over. India play a two-day practice game at Benoni this week, before the two Test series gets underway in Johannesburg next week. "I really hope the aggression we have shown in the limited-overs spills onto the Test arena. We spoke about it as a team at the start of the series. We wanted to play with intensity and energy, and make it a long tour for them," de Villiers said.
"And we have done it right, but we have to start again now. From the first Test onwards, we will make a longer tour for them in the Test series," he said.
It means the warning bells have been sounded out for Team India. Before the ODI series, their bowling attack was under the scanner. Now it is the batting line-up that is under some cloud after not a single noteworthy performance so far.
Meanwhile, the bowling seems to have improved a touch, coming to terms with conditions in Durban and then again, here in Centurion. South Africa might just have reason to be wary, if not worry.
"We have scored runs and got partnerships going against them, as they are a light-weight attack when compared to the Pakistan bowling. But we need to respect any bowling attack with the red ball in hand.
"It is a different ballgame as you can do more things against the white ball, take more risks. Against the red ball, we need to tighten up our technique and get ready. We need to concentrate and start by showing some respect," he concluded.
