“We appreciate this but our feet will be firmly on the ground,” said South Africa Head Coach, Mark Boucher, after South Africa won the ODI series against India by a margin of 3-0.

Boucher attributed the series win to the hard work the team has put in behind the scenes, particularly during the tour of Sri Lanka and the T20 World Cup in the UAE.

“Didn’t surprise me that the guys played the way they did. That’s just a lot of hard work paying off,” said Boucher.

South Africa, at the moment, is high on confidence, having performed well at the T20 World Cup and won a Test series against India, who were considered to be favourites going into the series.

“Only when you’ve been through the hard times do you appreciate the good times.”

Boucher is pleased with the progress the team has made through the course of the summer. Bio-bubble restrictions owing to COVID-19 meant that South Africa would select a larger squad. Exposing a large number of players to international cricket is now showing results.

“We’re starting to reap the rewards now. A lot of players got a taste of international cricket. Guys are coming through, which is good. We’re beating top-quality teams. It’s falling in place,” remarked Boucher.

Another factor, Boucher highlighted, was the team environment in the change room. Referring to it as a “happy change room,” Boucher said the “results make it a lot easier.” He signed off saying, “They’re growing as cricketers, but also as human beings.”