Proteas captain Faf du Plessis admits that they were completely outplayed by India in their three-match Test series.
South Africa lost the third and final Test by an innings and 202 runs on Tuesday, for their hosts to claim a series whitewash.
SA simply couldn’t compete with India hosts and got worse as the series progressed.
Du Plessis admits that they were out-bowled, out-batted, out-fielded and adds: “Menatlly we were weak towards the end.
“The ruthlessness they showed right through the series [hurt us].”
The Proteas have been talking about a rebuilding phase under interim coach Enoch Nkwe.
But with a number of players signing contracts to play in England, Du Plessis believes South Africa are bleeding talent.
UNDER PRESSURE: Interim Proteas Team Director Enoch Nkwe. Picture: Christiaan Kotze/BackpagePix.
Of a possible solution to the problem, he says: “Brexit is one thing, because obviously that will stop the Kolpak players and that would benefit South African cricket tremendous amounts...
“[At the moment] the opportunities are there for players in the domestic circuit in England.
“There are a lot of South African players playing there at the moment - from a financial point of view, the Pound is stronger than the Rand.
“At the moment we are losing our experience in international cricket and also losing experience in domestic cricket.
“Your top players domestically are going overseas - the guys that get left out of the Proteas team go overseas. So you are missing out on your best players and the talent pool is getting a lot smaller.
“That’s something we’ve tried to identify to stop, but it’s really difficult.”