The last time South Africa won a Test series on Indian soil, Hansie Cronje and Sachin Tendulkar were captaining their sides. Nearly a quarter century later, the Proteas have finally repeated the feat, completing a dominant 408-run win on Wednesday to sweep the two-match series 2-0.
South Africa, the reigning World Test Championship winners, took the opening Test in Kolkata by 30 runs before wrapping up the series in Guwahati. Off-spinner Simon Harmer produced a career-best 6-37 as India collapsed to 140 all out in the final innings.
Cronje’s team had triumphed 2-0 in 2000 with victories in Mumbai and Bengaluru, but since then South Africa had managed only two wins in 13 Tests in India—until this year’s breakthroughs.
“It’s a huge achievement, something we constantly strive for,” captain Temba Bavuma said. “Winning 2-0 in India is rare. Many of us have felt the pain of being on the losing end here, which makes this so much more satisfying.”
India had been set an improbable 549 to win after South Africa posted scores of 489 and 260-5 declared. The hosts’ first-innings 201 left them far behind, trailing by 288.
India crumble on final day
Three wickets fell in the morning session before India slumped to 90-5 at tea. The remaining wickets tumbled in barely an hour, sealing India’s heaviest Test defeat by runs. The previous worst margin—342 runs—was against Australia in Nagpur in 2004. India have now lost five of their last seven home Tests, their worst home stretch in 66 years.
“It’s disappointing. We need to improve, but credit to South Africa—they were the better team,” India captain Rishabh Pant said. “You can’t take home conditions for granted.”
The loss also marked India’s second home series defeat in successive seasons, following a 3-0 sweep by New Zealand in October 2024, intensifying concerns about India’s red-ball transition.
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Harmer ended the series with 17 wickets, earning player-of-the-series honors. It was his first five-wicket haul in India after previously recording four four-wicket hauls. Aiden Markram set a new record with nine catches in a single Test.
Ravindra Jadeja top-scored for India with 54, while the side missed captain Shubman Gill, who was sidelined due to a neck injury sustained in Kolkata.
Bavuma has now guided South Africa to 11 wins in 12 Tests as captain, including the 2025 World Test Championship final. Marco Jansen took player-of-the-match for his 93 runs and 6-48.
Echoes of 2000
In South Africa’s 2000 series win, they edged the Mumbai Test by four wickets before crushing India by an innings in Bengaluru. Shaun Pollock and Allan Donald combined for 16 wickets, Nicky Boje took seven, and Gary Kirsten scored 149 runs. India’s stars included Anil Kumble with 12 wickets and Mohammed Azharuddin with a century in what became his final Test.
That defeat ended India’s unbeaten home run since 1987 and was Tendulkar’s final series as captain. Cronje, later banned for match-fixing, died in a 2002 plane crash.
Source: AP