IND vs SA 2nd Test: South Africa thrash India by 408 runs to clinch series by 2-0

Simon Harmer (Pic: AFP)

On day 5 of the second Test match against South Africa, Team India suffered a loss by 408 runs. In an attempt to chase the target of 549 runs, the hosts were bowled out for 140 runs, thanks to Simon Harmer's bowling heroics.

South Africa's Harmer claimed six wickets by conceding 37 runs in 23 overs. With this, the Proteas scripted history by clinching their first Test series win in India in 25 years.

Team India's star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was the highest run-scorer in the second innings. Facing 87 balls, the left-hander scored 54 runs, including four boundaries and two maximums.

Washington Sundar returned to the pavilion after scoring 16 runs in 44 balls, with the help of two boundaries. Nitish Kumar Reddy departed on a three-ball duck. Mohammed Siraj was also shown the path to the pavilion, as he registered a four-ball duck. Jasprit Bumrah stayed unbeaten on one run in two balls.

Along with Harmer, Keshav Maharaj also chipped in with two wickets. He bowled 12.5 overs and conceded 35 runs. Marco Jansen and Senuran Muthusamy registered one wicket each to their names. Bowling 15 overs, Jansen was smashed for 23 runs, and Muthusamy leaked 21 runs in seven overs.

Wiaan Mulder bowled four overs and gave away six runs, and Aiden Markram conceded two runs in two overs.

Rishabh Pant, who was named as the stand-in skipper of India in the absence of Shubman Gill, registered a loss in his first Test match as skipper.

This was the second time in a space of mere 13 months that India ended up whitewashed at home, severely denting their chances of qualifying for the World Test Championship.

Under head coach Gautam Gambhir, India have now lost five Tests against New Zealand and South Africa at home. It is also the first time in 66 years that the team has lost 5 Tests in a space of seven months.

With the conclusion of the longest format series, Team India and South Africa will now engage in the white-ball series, starting from November 30th. It will include three One-Day International (ODI) matches and five T20 International (T20I) games.