South Africa beat Australia by five wickets to win World Test Championship
Player of the Match De Kock said they assessed the conditions perfectly and played to their strength to come out on top against Australia.
'There is not much we can do as players, but there is that disparity in the number of games. We have to find a way mentally to meet the challenge.'
Virat Kohli said he is 'feeling really free' mentally after producing another match-winning effort to help India clinch the three-match ODI series.
'When you are playing on spin-friendly pitches, you need to prepare differently.'
India bowling coach Morne Morkel admitted his side was "surprised" by how quickly the Eden Gardens surface "deteriorated" after a dramatic second day in which 15 wickets fell and the opening Test swung sharply in India's favour.
South Africa batting coach Ashwell Prince said the Proteas' ODI side still needs to sharpen its temperament in "clutch moments".
South Africa have recalled all-rounder Senuran Muthusamy to their 15-player squad for next month's two-Test tour of Bangladesh as one of three frontline spin options.
Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed his maiden ODI hundred to power India to a 2-1 series win after they thrashed against South Africa by nine wickets in the third and final ODI.
Captain Rishabh Pant conceded that India needed to get better as a Test team.
The collapse, India's lowest failed chase at home, has left behind deeper fault lines than a dry Eden Gardens wicket can conceal.
From Royal Challengers Bengaluru's historic first IPL title to star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra finally breaking the iconic 90-meter mark to India women winning their first cricket World Cup, this was the year of long-awaited victories and record-breaking feats.
Countering Bumrah before spinners come into play will be key for SA: Graeme Smith
Pat Cummins tore through South Africa before a Proteas fightback left the ICC World Test Championship Final 2025 on a knife-edge at the end of an absorbing second day at Lord's.
Abhimanyu Easwaran made the future path all the more tough with his second duck of the match, while Sai Sudharsan concluded his lukewarm preparation for the South Africa Test series with an underwhelming 23 off 38 balls.
South Africa have now won six successive Tests, starting with success in the West Indies in August and following it with two-Test series wins in Bangladesh and then home to Sri Lanka last month.
Seamer Dane Paterson took a career-best 5-71 and Temba Bavuma was unbeaten on 48 as South Africa closed the third day
Tiny Temba Bavuma scored his maiden Test century for South Africa on Tuesday and suggested English sledging helped him reaching the landmark.
Top-order batter Rassie van der Dussen will lead South Africa during next month's Twenty20 tri-series with New Zealand and hosts Zimbabwe, with four uncapped players in the squad, Cricket South Africa said on Thursday.
Rishabh Pant's return to competitive cricket after a three-month injury-enforced hiatus will be the primary focal point of India A's four-day match against South Africa A.
Keshav Maharaj took 4/22 as South Africa thrashed a woeful England side by seven wickets after dismissing the hosts for just 131 runs in the first One-Day International.
Australia and South Africa, two teams renowned for their batting prowess, will go head-to-head in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, aiming to secure a place in the Champions Trophy semifinals.
South Africa's batting hero Aiden Markram has taken longer than expected to deliver on his promise, but a match-winning century against Australia in the World Test Championship final is being hailed as the biggest in the country's cricketing history.
Salman Agha and Mohammad Rizwan both struck centuries as Pakistan completed their highest successful run chase in ODIs with a six-wicket win over South Africa.
Images from the first One-Day International between South Africa and India, in Paarl, on Wednesday.
Dhruv Jurel made a strong case for his continued presence in the senior Test eleven with his second hundred in as many innings against South Africa A while fortifying India A's position on the third day of the four-day match in Bengaluru on Saturday.
South Africa's white-ball skipper Temba Bavuma believes that a series win over India in the upcoming three-match ODI rubber will give the home team a "hell lot of confidence" going ahead.
The 2025 final will be played between Australia and South Africa at Lord's from June 11.
South Africa have a chance of reaching the 2025 World Test Championship final but would likely have to win both Tests against Sri Lanka, and the two-match home series with Pakistan that includes Boxing Day and New Year fixtures.
Australia, who won the preceding T20 series between the sides, lost opener Travis Head and number three Marnus Labuschagne inside four overs.
Kuldeep slips to third in ODI rankings, Maharaj regains top spot
South Africa's two-test series success over Sri Lanka on Monday catapulted them to first place in the World Test Championship and put them firmly on course for next year's final in what would have been unthinkable less than a year ago.
'We could have pushed harder at certain stages of our innings, but everyone chipped in to make sure we had competitive total.'
Virat Kohli has two hundreds and a fifty in his last three innings, while Rohit Sharma has a hundred and two fifties in his last four outings.
Ashwell Prince, South Africa's batting coach, labelled Aiden Markram as the "man for the big occasion" after the opener steered the Proteas towards what could be a famous run-chase in the ICC World Test Championship final against Australia on Friday.
India, South Africa pretty close on bowling, batters will face big test in getting runs: Amla
South Africa roped in left-arm spin bowling all-rounder George Linde as a cover for the injured Aiden Markram ahead of their Champions Trophy semi-finals against New Zealand.
Sri Lanka were dismissed for their lowest test total of 42 after South Africa's Marco Jansen produced bowling heroics to help the hosts take a firm grip on the first Test.
South Africa's openers have struggled and the skipper said losing Quinton de Kock to injury has affected the team.
Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh and Cameron Green smashed blistering hundreds as Australia steamrollered South Africa by 276 runs in the third and final One-Day International.
