India’s cricket experts called for changes in the team after South Africa’s one-day series whitewash following Virat Kohli’s exit as skipper.

India lost their third and final ODI by four runs in Cape Town to end a disappointing tour that also saw the tourists lose the Test series 2-1.

Quinton de Kock’s 124 set up a tense win in the final 50-over match, which followed two emphatic victories for the hosts.

“Huge for South Africa. Huge. And very well played. Proper post-mortem for India now,” commentator Harsha Bhogle wrote on Twitter.

KL Rahul captained the ODI side in the absence of white-ball leader Rohit Sharma, who missed out due to injury.

Kohli, who quit as Test skipper after the South Africa series loss, was the top scorer with 65.

Deepak Chahar, a pace bowler who bats in the middle order, hit a gritty 54 in India’s chase of 288 but got out with the team needing 10 runs to win, and the remaining two batters soon departed.

“What’s lacking about this particular Indian outfit is the batters that they have in the team, none of them chip in with three-four overs of bowling,” former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar told ESPNcricinfo.

“That’s got to be the quest for India with their 50-overs team. If they can’t find an obvious sixth bowling option…you have got (to have) pure batters who walk in to the team and can chip in with some bowling.”

Former captain Sunil Gavaskar had backed Chahar’s inclusion in the XI after the first two losses, saying veteran fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who went wicketless in two matches and gave away too many runs, has lost his sting.

Gavaskar had also told TV channel India Today that captain Rahul “had run out of ideas” during opposition partnerships in the first two ODIs.

But cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra said the losses could help the team reinvent itself.

“Losing… allows you to take bold decisions,” he said.

“India’s white-ball cricket template needs a makeover… this could very well be the beginning of the new approach.”

‘Eye-opener’

India coach Rahul Dravid said on Sunday that the one-day series against South Africa was an “eye-opener,” but he expects his team to improve before next year’s World Cup.

“We’ve not played a lot of one-day cricket since the last World Cup,” said Dravid after South Africa completed a 3-0 series win in the third one-day international in Cape Town.

But Dravid said that India were set to play plenty of white-ball cricket in the immediate future.

“We’ve got a fair bit of time to go before the World Cup. I think it’s a good time to reflect and learn. We will get better and improve.”

Dravid pointed out that several key players, including recently-appointed captain Rohit Sharma and several all-rounders, were not available for the South African tour.

But he praised Deepak Chahar, who batted at number seven and hit a rapid 54 which took India to the brink of victory on Sunday.

“He certainly gives us some real nice options, with people like Shardul (Thakur) being able to contribute with the bat as well. There a lot of people who can step up in the next year or so and give us that depth in the side.”

Dravid said a balance needed to be struck between providing opportunities and results.

“Obviously once you give people security and consistency you need to expect performances as well. The idea is to give as much stability as we possibly can.”

Dravid refused to criticise KL Rahul, who took over the captaincy after Sharma withdrew because of injury.

“I thought he did a good job,” said Dravid. “It’s not easy to be at the wrong side of results. He’s just starting out on his journey as a captain.

“A large part of captaincy is also the execution of the skills of your players and the quality you’ve got. We were a little bit short on the one-day side of things.”

Sharma to lead India against Windies

Sharma will return to lead India in the upcoming limited-overs home series against West Indies after recovering from his hamstring injury, as the country’s cricket board named the squad on Wednesday.

Rohit, who was recently appointed white-ball captain, missed the team’s tour of South Africa.

India announced 18-man squads for three ODI and three T20I matches starting February 6, with the first 50-over game in Ahmedabad.

Vice-captain Rahul will join the team from the second ODI while fast bowlers Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah have been rested.

Ravindra Jadeja will miss the series as he is undergoing the final stage of recovery from his knee injury, the BCCI said.

Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav returned to the ODI squad after last playing for the national team in July last year.

Recently the BCCI revised the venues for the series, hosting the ODI games in Ahmedabad on February 6, 9 and 11. The T20 matches will be played in Kolkata on February 16, 18 and 20.

India are yet to name their new Test captain after Virat Kohli, who remains an integral part of the team across formats, stepped down from the job following the team’s 2-1 loss in South Africa.