Home Collapse in Gambhir Era: South Africa Seal Historic Guwahati Test Win by 408 Runs

Guwahati: Wednesday will be written in black letters in the history of Indian Test cricket. South Africa defeated India by a huge margin of 408 runs in the second Test to sweep the two-match series 2-0. This is India's biggest defeat in Test cricket in terms of runs. This was the first time at home that I had to face such a huge insult. Before that, the biggest record was in the name of Australia in Nagpur in 2004, 342 runs. Now that too is broken.

What happened in the match?

• 1st innings: South Africa 489 (Bavuma 42, Rabada 35; Bumrah 4-38)
• India 201 (Jadeja 38; Rabada 4-45) → 288 runs behind
• Second innings: South Africa 260/5 declared (Stubbs 94; Jadeja 4-64)
• Target: 549 runs

India's second innings: just 140 runs

The Indian innings started faltering right from the morning of the fifth day. Simon Harmer used such magic of off-spin that he took 6 wickets. Ravindra Jadeja kept fighting alone, scored 53 runs, but no one else supported him. The entire team collapsed in 61.1 overs. Embarrassing defeat.

India's biggest defeat (by margin of runs)

• 408 runs – South Africa, Guwahati 2025 (today)
• 342 runs – Australia, Nagpur 2004
• 341 runs – Pakistan, Karachi 2006
• 337 runs – Australia, Melbourne 2007

Second domestic clean sweep in 13 months

In October-November 2024, New Zealand defeated India 3-0 at home. Now South Africa 2-0. Clean sweep the house twice in 13 months. This is a very shameful figure for Indian Test cricket. India slipped to fifth place in the World Test Championship, while South Africa moved up to second.

Man of the match and series

• Man of the Match: Marco Jansson (6/48, 93 runs 1st innings)
• Man of the Series: Simon Harmer (17 wickets)

South African captain Bavuma said, "It is not easy to come to India and win. Especially when the pitches are turning. Harmer did wonders. Proud of the entire team. We showed that we can beat the strongest team in the world in any condition."

What's next for the Indian team?

Captain Shubman Gill did not play in the second test due to injury. Rishabh Pant captained, but the result was the same. Now the three-match ODI series will start in Ranchi from November 30. Rohit Sharma's return is confirmed. Will Team India be able to make a comeback there? The 408-run defeat at home is not just a statistic, it is a big blow to Indian Test cricket.