India beat South Africa by 243 runs in Sunday’s Cricket World Cup fixture at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
India posted a final total of 326 for five after winning the toss and choosing to bat first.
The Proteas replied with 83 all out in 27.1 overs.
South Africa have qualified for a semi-final berth despite Sunday’s result.
They have won six matches and lost two at the tournament. Five of the six victories happened after batting first. Both defeats happened after batting second.
“We know the challenge and we know the narrative around us while chasing. We didn’t do it any justice here,” said Bavuma.
“When we talk about it as a batting group, we have to be honest.
“The first 10 overs with the ball made it a challenge. We did do quite well after that. The biggest challenge was taking wickets and India built big stands.
“The conditions are the biggest learning. The wicket played as we suspected it to play – we expected it to deteriorate, but we didn’t adapt well. It will be up to us to adapt our skills accordingly.”
India have qualified a semi-final berth, too. Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka are vying for the remaining two semi-final berths.
South Africa’s final round-robin fixture will be against Afghanistan in Ahmedabad on Friday.