Proteas skipper bemoans tough conditions as they fold in Dharmasala

The home side had earlier in the day won the toss and put South Africa into bat, which saw Markram’s side post a timid 117 from their 20 allotted overs.

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The skipper explained how tough it was out in the middle even as one of the top batters in the team.

"There's a reason it's a low scoring day, because the conditions are quite tough and the pressure is never off you. It is difficult to score, because naturally the field is tighter, you face more dark balls than you would on a flat wicket, so it comes with its own challenges," said Markram.

Markram says even though it looked more like a bowler’s pitch, they did not expect the sort of ball movement that they experienced. He says they had to accept that it’s not going to be a high scoring match and come up with more creative ways to get something on the board.

"To the eye looked a bit wicked and to the India camp it looked the same. It was challenging, but you can come across conditions like this, and you have to have a plan as a unit to deliver a competitive score," added Markram.

He did admit that as a captain you do get excited by a wicket that offers something to the bowlers, while as a batter he would have preferred a flatter one.

While there was a lot for them to work with, Markram says the Indian bowlers also did their part in restricting them to a total that’s easier to chase.

"You can have friendly conditions, but you need blowers who can bowl in the right areas and yes you they did well and you have to give them credit for that," he expressed.