South African captain Aiden Markram said he was “devastated” after his team lost the first-ever T20 World Cup final to India by seven runs.

After ending a run of seven semi-final defeats – in both short formats – with their victory over Afghanistan on Wednesday, the Proteas came agonisingly close to their first World Cup title.

Heinrich Klaasen's brilliant 52 from 27 balls, with five sixes and two fours, put South Africa in a winning position before India's death bowlers turned the tables.

“Obviously I'm devastated. It's going to take some time for us to reflect on this. We've had a great season, but right now this hurts. I'm so proud of all my players and everyone involved in this team,” Markram said.

“We bowled very well, the pitch didn't give them much room to maneuver. We thought the result was achievable. It was a great game of cricket, I'm proud of all my boys, it's hard not to get over the line but I will always be proud of them,” he said.

“We've seen in many of our games that it's not over until the last ball. That changed quickly at the end. But we were in a great position. We know we could have won the game,” he added.

Markram said he was proud that his team's hunger for success, which they showed throughout their unbeaten run to the final, was evident right up until the end.

“One thing you can say for sure about the South Africans is that they are competitive but also respectful. We are proud of that. Hopefully we can learn from that and use it for the future.”

“Regardless, this will always be a proud day for us,” he said.

South Africa's only major title in this area is winning the Champions Trophy in 1998.