South Africa have done it! After 25 long years, the Proteas have secured a dominant series victory against India, in India and it couldn’t have ended it a better way than Marco Jansen hammering the final nail in the coffin. India cricket team had zero chances of winning the IND vs SA 2nd Test, and at the maximum could have attempted to draw the game at least. However, that wasn’t to happen as SA wrapped up the game under 2 sessions, clinching a mammoth 408-run win to complete a 2-0 whitewash against India.
Jansen hammers final nail in the coffin
India started Day 5 on a poor note, having already lost two wickets towards the end of play on Day 4. Chasing 549 runs, the hosts lost wickets in quick succession on the final day of play, with Simon Harmer causing the maximum harm with a five-wicket haul. The final nail in the coffin was hammered by Jansen, who had scored an outstanding 93-run knock and a 6-wicket haul in the 1st innings, as he took a one-handed blinder near the boundary to get rid of Siraj, thereby helping SA complete a historic series win.
How SA decimated India in the IND vs SA Test series
In the 1st Test, India were completely outfoxed and outclassed by SA as they were handed a 30-run defeat in what was a 3-day game at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. While neither side managed to surpass the 200-run mark across innings, it was the Proteas who stood tall as the weakness of Indian batters in terms of facing spin at home was exposed once again. Their poor show with the bat was a throwback to how the batters had struggled against the New Zealand spinners in 2024, where the team faced a 3-0 whitewash.
Apart from that, India were also without the services of their Test captain Shubman Gill who was injured in Kolkata. Apart from Washington Sundar, no other Indian batter fared anywhere close to decent in that game.
If India thought they could get any better in the IND vs SA 2nd Test in an unfamiliar venue in Guwahati, then they were utterly wrong. The hosts failed to restrict the Proteas to a decent total in the 1st innings and ended up conceding 489 runs. In response, India were bowled out for just 201 runs in their 1st innings following which they were forced to bowl again. South Africa launched a relentless 2nd innings attack against India with the bat, going on to set a mammoth target. And the rest was history, as the visitors completed a 408-run win against Rishabh Pant and co. to take the series.
For India, the major concerning factors would be the batters failing to fare well at home despite some good preparation along with the tactical blunders in terms of selections, captaincy and the usage of batters and bowlers. There is almost a 10-month gap between India’s last Test and the next one and Gautam Gambhir and co. have a lot of work to do if they fancy a chance of making it to the World Test Championship (WTC 2025/27) final.
New low for India
- Only 3rd time India lose a Test series at home in consecutive years
- First time in 25 years India lose 5 Tests in a two-season stretch
- First time in 66 years India lose 5 matches within a span of 7 months
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