Cape Town - Aiden Markram admits that captaining the Proteas in the recently completed ODI series against India was "tough".

Markram, 23, took over the leadership after regular captain Faf du Plessis was injured following the first ODI.

It was a surprising decision from the Proteas brains trust, and Markram won just one of his five matches in charge as the Proteas fell to a 5-1 series defeat.

Tipped as a future Test captain, Markram also struggled with the bat and scored just 127 runs at an average of 21.16.

Following Friday night's eight-wicket loss at Centurion after another Virat Kohli masterclass, Markram opened up to media on his first experience as national captain.

"It was obviously tough and it was always going to be tough," he said.

"Having said that it was something I was looking forward to and it was a challenge I really enjoy. I can still say that sitting here having lost the series 5-1.

"I learnt a lot, and learning a lot at this stage of my career is not a bad thing. Going forward I’m just going to try and take lessons that I did learn if I ever captain again."

Markram acknowledged that the pressures of the captaincy may have contributed to his struggles with the bat, but he said he felt more comfortable out in the middle as the series progressed.

India, Markram added, had been much better than the Proteas throughout the series.

"The guys rocked up with a very good attitude today and were prepared to go the distance, but unfortunately it wasn’t the case. Yet again India played some really good cricket," he said.

"We were just outplayed again."