South African coach Ottis Gibson is pretty disappointed with the series loss he said that they have no excuse to offer for the “hiding” for the disheartened Proteas squad as they have defeated from a rampaging India, leaving him with a lot to think about going forward.

A 73-run victory over the Proteas in the fifth ODI in Port Elizabeth on Tuesday has ensured India its first ever series win on South African soil across all formats. The Virat Kohli-led team has taken an unassailable 4-1 lead in the six-match ODI series.

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During the post-match press conference, Gibson said, “You take three of your best batsmen out of any team, they will struggle and when you do it against a very strong Indian team it has exposed us. I’ve told the lads in the dressing room we will not make excuses but will try and get better. We have got a good hiding from India, let us not kid ourselves about that, but it has also given us a lot of food for thought going forward. I know we have been focusing on the World Cup, but I don’t think the team that will go to that tournament is the one that you saw tonight.”

Gibson also conceded that India’s wrist spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav has run through their batsmen in this ODI series but felt the duo may not be that useful in the World Cup in England. He said, “I think India has two world-class spinners and they might spin it anywhere, but we have got a whole year to learn to deal with that stuff. But I don’t believe it will spin that much in England.”

In the fifth ODI, South Africa managed to restrict India under 300 for the second game running, but 275 proved to be a huge task with the Indian wrist-spinners coming back to form once again. The head coach said, “We were 50 for none and lost a wicket with four balls to go in the power play to Jasprit Bumrah, who has been their best fast bowler all summer. We lost a couple more shortly thereafter and that set us back.”

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Gibson said on the contrast the Indian top-order made the difference in the ODI series by scoring the bulk of runs. Ottis explained, “A lot of credit has to go to India. In every game, one of their top three (batsmen) has scored a hundred and that is been the difference in the series. We’ve got one hundred from captain Faf du Plessis in Durban, and we’ve not been able to get another since. It’s not that we can’t.”

Ottis Gibson also threw light the affect of injuries the South African in the series and hindered its preparation for the 2019 World Cup as it looked to try out new faces. At the same time, he added, “This (appointing Markram) was a decision for the future, not a decision for now. Aiden has shown all the hallmarks of a good leader and with Faf out, we thought we could give him that opportunity. Looking back I think it was the right decision.”