Unpredictable Proteas do pack a punch: 5 talking points from rollercoaster India tour

The Proteas completed their white-ball tour of India in Delhi on Tuesday, going down by 7 wickets in the third ODI after being rolled for just 99 batting first. 

It means they lose the ODI series 2-1 having lost the T20 series by the same margin. 

More importantly, South Africa only collected 10 ICC World Cup Super League points from a possible 30, and they now face the very real possibility of missing out on automatic qualification for the 2023 50-over showpiece in India. 

There were certainly positive moments and suggestions that, on their day, the Proteas are a side capable of knocking over anybody. 

Consistency, however, remains a concern in both the T20 and ODI formats with the bat, particularly, and ball. 

Attention will now swiftly turn to the T20 World Cup in Australia where the Proteas, led by Temba Bavuma, enter as dark horses. That tournament will also be Mark Boucher's final chapter as national head coach before he stands down. 

Here, News24 Sport unpacks five key takeaways from the Indian tour.

Consistency issues

When the wheels come off, they do so in spectacular fashion. That seems to be the case with the Proteas white ball sides at the moment, particularly when it comes to their batting. 

A top-order collapse saw the visitors reduced to 9/5 in the opening T20 but they then blasted scores of 221/3 and 227/3 in their next two outings. There was no middle ground in the T20s, and the batting either fired or disintegrated. 

It was a similar story in the ODIs where a match-winning 249/4 (40) opened the series before Wednesday's calamitous 99 all out brought the curtain down on the tour in disappointing fashion. 

With the ball, too, the Proteas missed lines and lengths at key stages and were punished, particularly in the