South African fast bowler Andre Nel has been fined 20 percent of his match fee for using obscene language during Monday's defeat in the fifth and final one-day international against India in Mumbai.

Nel was found to have breached the International Cricket Council's (ICC) code of conduct and was summoned for a hearing before match referee Jeff Crowe after the day-night game.

He was found to have breached 1.4 of the code relating to "using language that is obscene, offensive or insulting" which includes swearing in frustration at one's own poor play or misfortune, an ICC statement said on Tuesday.

Television pictures during the game, which India won by five wickets to square the five-match series 2-2, one contest was abandoned, showed Nel swearing in frustration after wicketkeeper Mahendra Dhoni edged him just past his stumps for four.

"While not wanting to stifle the character of a lively player such as Andre, his explicit obscene language that was witnessed by TV viewers is unacceptable," former New Zealand captain Crowe said.

All level one breaches carry a minimum penalty of a reprimand and a maximum penalty of 50 percent of a player's match fee.