Cricket: South Africa secure 2-0 Test series sweep as India suffer historic collapse in Guwahati
Harmer, Muthusamy lead Proteas to first Test series win in India in 25 years
After a shocking performance on a questionable pitch at Eden Gardens in the first Test, India were widely expected to make amends here in Guwahati, but by the second day of the match, it was already clear that their backs were against the wall.
Batting first, Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickleton gave South Africa a solid platform to build on, putting together a first-wicket stand of 82 before falling in consecutive overs. Skipper Temba Bavuma and Tristan Stubbs then went on to navigate the side to 166 in the 58th over.
With the Proteas’ top order back in the pavilion for 246 closing in on stumps on Day 1, India looked well in the match, but that was until Senuran Muthusamy stepped out to the centre and scored a stunning 109 off 206 deliveries.
Marco Jansen, who was eventually named Player of the Match, also produced a magical innings, scoring 93 runs of 91 deliveries batting at number nine, which got his side to a solid first-innings target of 489.
In response, India could only muster 201 runs in their first innings, with just Yashasvi Jaiswal surpassing the half-century mark. Kuldeep Yadav did his best to prolong proceedings, taking 134 deliveries to score just 19 runs.
After South Africa declared at 260/5 in their second innings, India collapsed in their run chase, managing just 140 runs to lose the match by a whopping 408 in the second session of Day 2 and confirm our cricket predictions.
The chief destroyer for the Proteas was Player of the Series Simon Harmer, who picked up 6/37 in the second innings, following up his 3/64 in the first, while Marco Jansen notched up 6/48 in the first innings to set up the victory.
India’s struggles in red-ball format continue after second Test demolition
While India have been in excellent form in limited-overs cricket, there are major concerns now being voiced about their Test-match performances and their ability to compete for the 2025-27 World Test Championship title.
The victory for South Africa marked their first Test series win in India in 25 years, while for the Men in Blue, the result in Guwahati was their biggest loss by runs in a Test match ever, surpassing their 342-run defeat to Australia in 2004.
Additionally, India have now lost five of their last seven Test matches against all opposition, having also been whitewashed by New Zealand 3-0 on home soil last year. More concerningly, they have only been whitewashed three times ever, and two of those have now come in the space of 12 months.
The sole focus for Shubman Gill and co will now be to bounce back in the three-match ODI leg of this tour. The first of those matches will be played on Sunday, November 30, at the JSCA International Stadium in Ranchi.
