Kohli hails 'complete performance' after India claim historic win

India took a 4-1 lead over South Africa with one match to play in the series after a Rohit Sharma century and four wickets for the in-form Kuldeep Yadav set up a comfortable victory at St George's Park.

It was another impressive performance from the tourists, and their captain Virat Kohli was quick to praise the contribution of his players after India claimed a maiden ODI series win on South African soil.

"I'm very pleased, it was another complete performance from us," he said. "They had the pressure of losing this series and we knew that. It's history and the guys have worked hard for it. Every since the third Test in Johannesburg, it's been a good time for us.

"It's been a collective effort to create history. When three guys at the top are being consistent, the guys who get an opportunity every now and then might not click."

Kohli said that while his team would be pushing for another victory in the final match of the series in Centurion, it might be an opportunity to give other players in the squad a chance to impress.

"After this series is wrapped up we'll sit down and think about where to improve. For now, 4-1 feels great. We want to win 5-1, for sure, but there might be a scenario for a few more guys to get a chance in the next match. But the ultimate priority is to win and we'll do anything we can to win."

Aiden Markram, who is captaining South Africa in the absence of the injured Faf du Plessis, admitted he was disappointed by his team's batting effort, but said Lungi Ngidi's haul of 4/51 provided a reason to be cheerful.

"Firstly, credit goes to India," he said. "Our batting wasn't up to scratch. You struggle to build momentum when you lose wickets. They've got their game plans nailed so credit to how they've played.

"Lungi Ngidi's spell was spectacular. To keep taking wickets in that middle and end period was important. I was happy at the halfway stage. There were some soft dismissals, starting from myself."

"I do believe we've played their spinners progressively better in the series. It's a learning process. There's still a lot of pride to play for now and we're gonna look to bounce back and end the series on a positive note."

The final match of the series takes place at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Friday.