Indian captain Rohit Sharma said his side's seven-wicket win in two days over South Africa in the second Test at Newlands on Thursday showed they can play anywhere in the world.
India rebounded from an innings defeat in the first Test at Centurion to share the two-match series, chasing down a target of 79 an hour after lunch despite a stunning century by home batsman Aiden Markram.
The win was sealed by man of the match Mohammed Siraj, who took six for 15 in the first innings as South Africa were bowled out for 55 before lunch on the first day.
Apart from Markram, who hit 106 off 103 balls in South Africa's second innings of 176, the batsmen struggled throughout the match on the pitch with pace, seam movement and uneven bounce.
“Although the conditions were tough for the batsmen, the bowlers still had to get the ball to the right areas,” Sharma said.
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“We made a good effort to get a 100-point lead. We knew it was going to be a short game and every round was important. Getting that lead was very important for us.
“Coming to this part of the world is always a challenge, but in the last four or five years we have become a very good travel team.
“For us, to come out here and win like this gives us a lot of confidence in our ability to perform under any conditions.”
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Dean Elgar, South Africa's stand-in captain in his final match before retiring from international cricket, admitted that the hosts misread the pitch when they decided to bat first after winning the toss.
“To the naked eye, it looked like a very beautiful game, but he played very differently to what everyone thought he would play,” said Elgar, who along with Jasprit Bumrah were named players of the series.
“It's been tough for us.
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“We were very positive going into this game.
“The first innings killed us with the bat. India brought their intensity and used the conditions brilliantly.”
After 23 wickets fell on the first day, the morning of the second day turned into a battle between Markram and Bumrah.
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The Indian took six for 61 – and was denied Markram's wicket when the 71-year-old batsman overshot a driving distance and wicket-keeper KL Rahul couldn't catch it over his head.
Markram defied a pitch whose highest individual score was 46 by Virat Kohli in India's first innings.
The next best number for any of Markram's teammates in either round was 15.
Markram hit 17 fours and two sixes, one of which, off Prasidh Krishna, sailed from ground to a rail behind square leg.
The 29-year-old was caught at mid-off by Indian captain Rohit Sharma off Siraj as he attempted another big shot.
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