'One bad phase in our batting let us down' – Bavuma

Chasing a target of 150 on Wednesday, 16 September, India, riding on skipper Virat Kohli's unbeaten 72, completed the task with an over to spare. Bavuma, who had scored 49 on T20I debut, blamed the loss of momentum in their batting innings for the defeat.

Bavuma had put on 57 for the second wicket with skipper Quinton de Kock and with eight wickets in hand for the final eight overs, South Africa seemed on course for a par score. However, a disciplined bowling effort by the hosts restricted them. They had just one boundary between overs 12 and 15, while overs 17, 18 and 19 yielded just 11 runs.

"There was just one phase that we let ourselves down," said Bavuma. "And a quality side like theirs is going to make us pay.

"Just after the halfway stage, when David [Miller] came in at the 13th over, I was thinking 180 was on the cards and that would be a good score," he added. "That's where we failed a bit in our batting cause. I wasn't really able to get the momentum going so maybe I was to blame because the platform was set for the big-hitters."

Bavuma, however, insisted the visitors weren't completely outplayed, and is keen to build on the positives. "They are a formidable side, but I do not think they are unbeatable. There will always be moments in the game where we can win and for us it's more about being aware of those moments and making sure that we're in the right mental space to seize them."

Bavuma's innings was cut short by Deepak Chahar, who conceded only three runs in the 18th over to pull things back for India. Chahar, who had produced a match-winning spell of 3/4 in the last T20I on the West Indies tour, backed it up with another clinical performance, finishing with 2/22.

"We had played against the South Africa A side prior to this series and that helped me plan things," Chahar said. "I had worked on my yorkers and also slow ball variations.

"When Bavuma was playing, I knew which ball to bowl at him. He is strong against short bowling, so my focus was to try variations in my pace and make him play forward and I am happy that it helped the team.”

Chahar said he prefers bowling at the death more than with the new ball. "I see bowling in death overs as easier, as compared to the bowling in the Powerplay or in the middle overs," he explained. "I always think that there are two fielders outside the circle when I am bowling and I plan accordingly."