Predicting a close series against South Africa [Images], skipper Rahul Dravid [Images] said the Indian team will strive to bounce back in the second one-dayer, to be played in Bangalore on Saturday.

"Yes, we have got to come back strongly and play good cricket," Dravid told reporters on Thursday.

The Bangalore cricketer said he was satisfied with the courageous performance of Yuvraj Singh [Images], Irfan Pathan [Images], Harbhajan Singh [Images] and Ajit Agarkar [Images], who helped India post a respectable 249 after the team was 35 for five at one stage.

"(But) I think, we did well in the last game (the first ODI against South Africa). The boys showed a lot of character and courage to fight back. I am very satisfied. We can take heart from that. If we do a few things, we will end up with better results," he said.

India lost the Wednesday's ODI in Hyderabad by five wickets.

The captain said the team is looking to improve its batting in the first 15 overs and also cut down on the number of extras.

"We are looking to improve all the time and we will try to improve our batting in the first 15 overs," he said.

However, about the 24 extras conceded in the first game at Hyderabad, he said, "I don't think it's a problem."

Dravid emphasised that it is important to try and keep winning.

"More important is to do the right things, get your process right and get the preparations right.

"You can sometimes win without actually preparing well. But if you prepare well, you will be more consistent. We are focusing on that and, hopefully, we should do well," said Dravid.

He  gave credit to the visitors for the win saying, "They played well, no doubt about that. They started well. They are a good team. We have no illusions about that.

"We are also playing some good cricket, and we are confident that if we can do a few things right, then we will be very competitive in the series. I predict that it's going to be a close series."