27 November,2025 10:11 AM IST | Guwahati | R Kaushik
South African players celebrate their series win with the trophy
Inside 194 minutes and 48 overs on the final day, India's capitulation was complete, their surrender abject. The irreparable crumbling of an empire was formalised with the dismissal of Mohammed Siraj to a spectacular running catch from Marco Jansen at the ACA Stadium, consigning India to their heaviest Test defeat by runs and exploding the aura of invincibility they had cloaked themselves in for a dozen years, between 2013 and 2024.
South Africa, the reigning World Test champions, lived up to that standing by storming to a gargantuan 408-run ÂÂtriumph on Wednesday afternoon, sealing a well-merited 2-0 sweep, more than 25 and a half years after Hansie Cronje's side had eked out a similar scoreline in early 2000. This marked the second home whitewash for India in the last 12 and a half months, raising massive questions about their commitment to the five-day game as well as a series of iffy decisions primarily but not exclusively revolving around team selection.
A South African victory under impressive captain Temba Bavuma, who extended his unbeaten Test record to 11-0 in 12 games at the helm, was always on the cards when India began the last day on 27-2, chasing 549. The least their legion of fans expected was a fight for the ages, like in Manchester in July. Instead, what they witnessed was another sorry display of lack of application and a terrific exhibition of off-spin bowling from Simon Harmer, the Player of the Series for his 17 wickets.
Bringing all his experience - he is a veteran of 236 first-class appearances - into play on a surface that was still decent for batting if one was willing to put in the hard yards, Harmer cut out all escape routes in the two hours before tea in an unchanged spell of 15.1-5-22-3. It was game over then and there, only Ravindra Jadeja's battling half-century preventing a complete rout, assuming that 140 all out isn't a complete rout.
India should have lost overnight batters Sai Sudharsan and Kuldeep Yadav in the first 10 minutes, but Player of the Match Jansen had overstepped when he forced the former to edge to Kyle Verreynne and Aiden Markram, who held a record nine catches, made a rare error when he dropped the latter off Harmer. But the Proteas weren't to be denied for long. Once Harmer packed off the pesky Kuldeep with a fast armer that stayed down a touch, the wheels came off spectacularly.
Dhruv Jurel was caught at slip in the same over and Rishabh Pant, the captain for the match, perished in similar fashion, even as a strokeless Sudharsan sweated it out. It took Jadeja to restore some batting authority, but there was only so much one man could do when the others around him were in a generous wicket-gifting mood.
Jadeja (54) was the only batter to contribute more than Mr Extras (Washington Sundar matched it with 16) in another sorry exhibition of lack of gumption. India's 140 came on the back of previous efforts in the series of 189, 93 and 201. Tigers at home? Not anymore, not by a long way.
Three
No. of home whitewashes for India - twice by SA (2000 & 2025) and once by New Zealand (2024)
Brief scores
South Africa 489 & 260-5d beat India 201 & 140 (R Jadeja 54; S Harmer 6-37, K Maharaj 2-37) by 408 runs
