1. Short-term gains, but...
It was a blessing in disguise in the short term, but Albie Morkel's injury during the warm-up wasn't so beneificial to the Proteas' World Cup planning. Of course Morkel's power hitting wasn't required and his replacement Dale Steyn bowled the decisive spell in the Indian chase, taking two for 10 in three overs. At the time India looked like they might make a game of it but once Steyn had grabbed the crucial wickets of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli the game was up. Had it been the oft-predictable Morkel bowling then things might have been quite different, but it would have been the sort of test South Africa would like him to take as they work out his worth to the side going forward.

2. Spin twins
South Africa's spinners bowled pretty well in tandem on a dry pitch with a combined spell of one for 45 in eight overs, but there was no doubt who has claimed the No1 spinner's berth for future engagements. While Johan Botha has become overly predictable since his doosra was banned almost a year ago, Roelof van der Merwe's stock rises with every game. The left-armer was the only bowler to come out of the second ODI hammering with any credit - his figures of one for 62 on a great batting strip were above average - and batsmen are clearly less willing to take him on than they are Botha. Jacques Kallis wouldn't quite admit that 'Roela' has overtaken Botha, but he had to pause to choose his words carefully when asked whether that might be the case. A diplomatic answer only partially masked the stand-in skipper's true thoughts on the matter.

3. Lacking Zak
If this was a peek into the future of India's one-day side then it looks far rosier than a 90-run defeat suggests. South Africa were only a couple of players short of their best XI, and there is not a huge gap between the missing players and their replacements. With this in mind it was encouraging to see the likes of Kohli and Suresh Raina putting in another good knock, while Ravindra Jadeja has surely cemented his place in the side for the foreseeable future. The fielding was the best we've seen from India in a long time - there was a buzz and an energy about them as they threw themselves around to good effect. But while the batting and fielding are encouraging, the death bowling remains a real concern and the series has shown just how crucial Zaheer Khan will be to their World Cup hopes.

4. Bat first, win the match?
With every match in the series being won by the side batting first, it's tempting to wonder if the result would have been different had the Proteas opted to bat first in Jaipur. The dew was behind their decision to field first but it never fully materialised, and in the last two matches it was scoreboard pressure which ultimately got the better of the chasing side. On good batting wickets it seems that that pressure tends to prove the difference, although Kallis was only partially convinced by the theory. "I think days and conditions change," he said when asked whether the Proteas now felt batting first was the way to go in India. "Tonight there wasn't too much dew, and dew probably is going to be a factor during the World Cup so it's something that we're going to have to monitor. It does vary from ground to ground, but maybe as a general rule in one-day cricket it's better to get the runs on the board - I know we like doing that."

5. Trophy for Tendulkar
He wasn't around to receive it, but few could quibble with Sachin Tendulkar receiving the man of the series award. AB de Villiers may have produced two stunning knocks to Tendulkar's one, but the South African's hundreds were only good enough to win one game. Furthermore there was nobody else who made two brilliant contributions in the series. Somewhat inevitably the last blog copped some abuse as readers focused on the headline more than the rest. I merely pointed out that Tendulkar himself might take more satisfaction from his 175 against an excellent Aussie attack last year - something he didn't rule out at the post-match press conference. But with all the focus on the future and several big players missing, this series threatened to bomb as an event in its own right. Tendulkar made sure that wasn't the case, so the award was fully deserved.