He became South Africa's youngest captain ever when he took over from Shaun Pollock [Images] after the 2003 World Cup.

And to say that Graeme Smith [Images] has excelled in his role as a skipper would be a big understatement. Since January 2007, South Africa has played in 16 Tests and can boast of an 11-3 win-loss record - an incredible feat in itself and second only to the Ricky Ponting-led Australian team's record in the same period.

Before coming to India, Smith had led his team to success over other sub-continent teams like Pakistan and Bangladesh. And in all these efforts he seldom failed with the bat - his 246 runs in five innings @ 49.2 in the just-concluded series is a case in point.

• Dhoni passes a stern Test with ease

Though South Africa couldn't replicate their 1999-2000 success in India (when they had won 2-0) - losing the Green Park Test to squander their 0-1 lead and end all square, Smith was quite satisfied with the efforts put in by his teammates in general and their performance at large. He spoke on a plethora of issues after the third Test. Excerpts:

On the Green Park defeat
I think the margins are very small on wickets like these. Maybe we were 30 runs short in the first innings as we lost our way towards the end of that. And with India getting that lead - those were the two swinging points in the match. Once India got the lead it was always going to be tough for us and the wicket also deteriorated further but I don't blame anybody for the defeat.

We also let ourselves down with the ball. I think we tried too hard to take the Indian wickets and as a result we didn't bowl as well as we had in the earlier matches in the tour.

If we would have set a target of 120-150 then things might have been different. But we have had a good season - to win 10 Tests out of a possible 13 (before this tour) and lose just two is no mean feat.

On the Indian performance
India were very clinical throughout. We weren't allowed to play well. The Indian bowlers hit the balls in the right areas and made stroke play very difficult. They showed us what can happen if you put the balls in the right areas. Only (Piyush) Chawla gave us scoring options, the rest bowled tight. There are small things which we could have done a bit better and they did just that. Had it been a home series and had ended 1-1, we wouldn't have liked it. But coming here in India and drawing the series is a good result.

• India win third Test, square series 1-1

On his own players
Our top three - Neil McKenzie, Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers have proved themselves throughout the season and have gone from strength to strength. McKenzie has made the opening slot his own, Amla was really good in this series and is crucial at number three and de Villiers has shown he has got all the shots. I am happy with our batting this season. To get 17 hundreds out of our top six is great.

• Day 3: Scorecard | Images from Day 3

On Dhoni [Images] as a Test captain
I think it is far too early to rate Dhoni as a Test captain. You can't judge him on the basis of jus one Test match. He will have to face a lot of challenges in the years to come. When he is given the charge then he will be worth judging. But he has had a good run so far in the one-dayers.

On the Indian Premier League
I can start thinking about the IPL now (Smith will play for Rajasthan Royals). I am looking forward to play under Shane Warne [Images]. It will be great to get to know and understand people you have played against for years. I am also looking forward to see some Indian talent.