South Africa ended a 25-year wait for a Test series win in India, achieving a 2-0 sweep with strong performances on the final day in Guwahati. Chasing what looked like a impossible target of 549 runs, India’s batting lineup crumbled under intense pressure, and they all out for just 140 during the first session of Day 5.
South Africa achieve 2-0 sweep
The 408-run loss marks the worst defeat for the hosts, who endured their second home series defeat in 12 months after unbeaten for over a decade. Off-spinner Simon Harmer duplicated his success from the first Test, taking five wickets to finish with nine in the match. Harmer used flight and drift to break down the Indian middle order. It takes key wickets such as KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel, and Rishabh Pant.
He received strong support from Keshav Maharaj and Senuran Muthusamy. Together, they ensured India never gained momentum, even with a counter-attacking half-century from Ravindra Jadeja.
World record fielding performance set by team
The victory was highlighted by a world-record fielding performance from Aiden Markram. He took his 9th catch of the match to dismiss Washington Sundar off Harmer’s bowling. It breaks the previous Test record of 8 catches held by Ajinkya Rahane.
The match ended fittingly with another remarkable fielding feat. Marco Jansen sprinted back from mid-on to make a spectacular one-handed catch to dismiss Mohammed Siraj, sealing the game.
This performance vindicated South Africa choice to delay its declaration on Day 4. Head coach Shukri Conrad described it as a strategy to wear down the opposition mentally. “We wanted the Indians to spend as much time on their feet out in the field; we wanted them to really struggle… bat them completely out of the game,” Conrad said.
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