Historic collapse in Guwahati! India suffer biggest Test defeat as South Africa seal first series win in
India lose Guwahati Test by 408 runs. NEW DELHI: South Africa ended a 25-year wait for a Test series win on Indian soil with a crushing 408-run victory in the second Test in Guwahati on Wednesday — a result that also handed India their biggest defeat in Test history in terms of runs.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Chasing an improbable 549, India were bowled out for 140 in the second session on Day 5, with seasoned off-spinner Simon Harmer producing a sensational six-wicket haul to finish with match haul of nine wickets that broke the hosts’ resistance across both innings. The World Test champions sealed a commanding 2-0 sweep, underlining their dominance from the opening day of the series.
‘As good as a win’: Ravindra Jadeja on India’s plans after South Africa set mountain to climb ahead of Day 5
South Africa’s triumph marks their first Test series win in India since the Hansie Cronje-led side in 2000. On Wednesday, it is Temba Bavuma who joins Cronje in achieving the rare feat — and he does so while maintaining his unbeaten record as Test captain.The game tilted heavily South Africa’s way on Day 2, when Sen Muthusamy and Marco Jansen resurrected the innings from 247/6 to a formidable 489, a partnership that broke India’s momentum and set the tone for the rest of the match. Jansen was equally destructive with the ball, exploiting the red-soil pitch to generate a steep bounce that dismantled India in the first innings.Although South Africa opted against enforcing the follow-on — drawing criticism for pushing too long in the second innings in an attempt to get Tristan Stubbs to a century — the declaration proved more than enough. On Day 5, Harmer took control, removing KL Rahul late on Day 4 and adding five more wickets on the final day to finish India off.This was the first time in 21 years that India were set a 500-plus fourth-innings target at home. The last such instance came in 2004, when Australia set them 543 in Nagpur — a match India lost by 342 runs, the previous record for their biggest Test defeat.
India’s biggest Test defeats (by runs)
- 408 runs vs South Africa, 2025
- 342 runs vs Australia, 2004
- 341 runs vs Pakistan, 2006
- 337 runs vs Australia, 2007
- 333 runs vs Australia, 2017
- 329 runs vs South Africa, 1996
