The win saw India claiming the four-match series 3-1, while their fine year in the format continued with a staggering 24th win in 26 matches.

The World Champions bat first at the Wanderers and scored a whopping 283/1 in their allotted 20 overs.

Tilak Varma scored back-to-back centuries in the series with another brilliant knock of 120 not out. To add to his 107* on Wednesday (17/11) at SuperSport Park he has scored 227 runs against South Africa in two matches without losing his wicket. The player who turned 22-year-old hit 9 fours and 10 sixes in his 47-ball knock.

In addition, the wicketkeeper, Sanju Samson, was equally brilliant with the willow with 109 not out, and he struck 6 fours and 9 sixes during the 56 balls he faced. Abhishek Sharma in turn scored 36 off 18.

Tilak Varma and Sanju Samson. Photo: Cricinfo

While Lutho Sipamla took the only wicket, the only bowling figures worth mentioning is the 0/42 by the left-arm seamer Marco Jansen. The six other bowlers used were poor to say the least, and only Jansen conceded less than 14-runs an over.

The Proteas innings got off to the worst possible start with Ryan Rickelton, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram, and Heinrich all out with South Africa's score on 10/4 after just 3-overs.

Tristan Stubbs dug in somewhat with 43-runs, while the former Knights players David Miller, Marco Jansen, and Gerald Coetzee scored 36, 29, and 12 respectively.

Abhishek Sharma. Photo: Cricinfo

South Africa was simply outmatched and outclassed by India who bowled them out for 148 runs in 18.2 overs.

The seamer, Arshdeep Singh, took 3/20 in three overs, while Axar Patel took 2/6 in two overs, with Varun Chakravarthy taking 2/42.

Following the complete annihilation of his team, the Proteas coach, Rob Walter, conceded that they were outclassed by a far superior team.

“Yeah, there's probably a number of reasons for it,” said Walter.

Arshdeep Singh celebrates Heinrich Klaasen's first ball duck. Photo: Cricinfo

“I think realistically if a team gets 280, the margin’s either winning it or you're going to lose by a mile. There are no in-betweens I don’t think. So when a rate gets up to 20 and over by the fifth over, then it’s only going one way from there unless someone does something unbelievably amazing in terms of cricket space.

“I think they’ve batted particularly well. They have certainly shown a skill set that was better than what we could offer with a ball. The intent was, as I said, right up there, their movement and the crease.

Tristan Stubbs. Photo: Cricinfo

“They certainly made it very difficult to bowl to them and then also just the quality of the cricket that they played. So, they put a relatively inexperienced bowling line-up under pressure and capitalised on that. “So as I said, you get 280. Those games either go one or two ways and it went the other way for us.”

The Proteas now shift their attention to Test cricket for the incoming series by Sri Lanka as well as Pakistan. With South Africa fighting to reach a first final of the World Test Championship they need to put the India series drubbing behind them and move forward.

The 1st Test between South Africa and Sri Lanka at Kingsmead in Durban starts on 27 November.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek  dg