India vs South Africa ODI series | It's not easy to bat in these conditions, says Heinrich Klaasen

India came close but fell short by nine runs to trail 0-1 in the three-match series.

Playing "better" in subcontinent conditions is something South Africa have been working on, says batter Heinrich Klaasen, who feels the Proteas picked the correct game plan to counter Indian spinners in the first ODI.

In a spot of bother at 110 for 4, David Miller (75) and Klaasen (74) shared 139 runs for the unbroken fifth wicket to take the visitors to 249 for 4 in 40 overs in the rain-hit match on Thursday.

India came close but fell short by nine runs to trail 0-1 in the three-match series.

"The ball spun a lot. We have been working hard for the last couple of years to play better in these conditions. Our game plan was to sweep both ways and it worked tonight.

"Today we picked the right game plan. It spun quite a bit so we had to get the danger ball out of play, find a way to rotate the strike," Klaasen said at the post-match press conference.

"It wasn't easy for both sides upfront. We bowled extremely well. I think Quinny (Quinton de Kock) played an exceptional innings as well. He was very vital to get us to a good position when Miller and I came in.

"Our middle order is experienced enough and we knew we have to do the hard work, find a way to play in these conditions.We keep on reminding ourselves of our blueprint and the way we need to play in these conditions," he added.