Paarl: South Africa beat India by 31runs to take 1-0 lead in the three-match series, at the Boland Park here on Wednesday. The home team restricted the visitors for 265/8 in 50 overs while defending 297.

Speaking about the loss, Indian skipper KL Rahul said that India could not get the partnerships going in the middle. ""There's so much to learn. We started really well and couldn't get wickets in the middle. I didn't bat after the 20th over so I don't know if the pitch changed, but Virat and Shikhar said it was a good wicket to bat on once you were set. Unfortunately we couldn't get those partnerships in the middle," said Rahul.

Meanwhile, South african captain Temba Bavuma said, "We played close to the perfect game. Throughout my innings, I struggled to get the ball out of the middle and hit the ball in the gaps. Rassie though seemed to be batting on a different wicket. I think that partnership was quite key for us."

Rassie van der Dussen, who was the Player of the Match, said, "I knew I had to get my sweeps and reverse sweeps quite early on because we couldn't let them settle. Two high pressure run chases in the Tests meant we were quite confident as a unit. All in all, it was a good day for the batters.