Aiden Markram joked about not batting first had he won the toss again after South Africa’s humbling loss to India in the first ODI in Johannesburg on December 17.

The Proteas, opting to bat first after winning the toss, were decimated by India’s bowling attack, crumbling to a meager total of 116 runs. | SA vs IND, 1st ODI – Scorecard |

This score marked their lowest ODI total on home soil, underscoring a dismal performance that fell short of their previous low of 118 against India in 2018.

Indian pacers Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan spearheaded the demolition, with Arshdeep becoming the first Indian pacer to claim a five-wicket haul in an ODI against South Africa. His figures of 5/37, coupled with Avesh Khan’s four wickets, left the South African batting lineup in disarray.

Only Andile Phehlukwayo showed some resistance, scoring 33 runs. In response, India chased down the target with ease, securing an 8-wicket victory thanks to an unbeaten 55 from Sai Sudharsan and a fifty from Shreyas Iyer.

When asked if he would bat first had he won the toss again, Markram joked during the post-match presentation that he wouldn’t do that.

“Probably not (on batting first again on this pitch and chuckles),” said Markram.

The Proteas skipper said that they were aiming to put up a really good score on the board and credited the Indian bowlers for their performance. Markram said that South Africa was behind India in the race during the game and struggled to make a comeback in Johannesburg.

“Yeah, tough one. Naturally, winning the toss and batting first, we wanted to put a really, really good score on the board. Credit should go to the Indian bowlers for the way they bowled.”

“We failed to build partnerships and lost wickets regularly. We were behind the game from the get-go and failed to find a way to crawl our way back into it.”

“It’s a day game. The first five, six overs did something, and we expected it to do a bit, to be honest. Today, it lasted a little longer, and they bowled well. As I said, the credit should go to them for the way they bowled,” said Markram.

Markram said that it was down to the batters to assess things and then plan forward and take smart options in each given situation.

“It comes down to individuals batting out there. It is up to them to assess and then plan it forward. We need to take smart options in a given situation. We encourage guys to be positive but also choose smart options. We’ll have to assess,” said Markram.