South Africa humble India with record home defeat to complete Test series whitewash

South Africa hand India their heaviest home Test defeat

Spinner Simon Harmer claimed six wickets as South Africa stormed to a 408-run win in the second Test, sealing their first series triumph in India in 25 years on Wednesday.

On day five in Guwahati, South Africa, the world Test champions, swept the Tests 2-0 after bowling out a pitiful India for 140 in a massive chase of 549.

After being crushed 0-3 by New Zealand the previous year, this marks India's fifth loss in seven home Test matches and their heaviest defeat by runs.

Harmer, a 36-year-old off-spinner, took 6-37 as South Africa won a Test series in India for the second time, after winning the first under Hansie Cronje in 2000.

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This is only the third time that India lost a home series in consecutive years. This is also the first time that India lost 5 Tests in a two-season stretch.

Not just that, this is also the first time in 66 years that India lost 5 of their last 7 Test matches.

South Africa defeated the hosts in their own game of spin on a batting-friendly track after India lost the first Test in Kolkata inside three days on a pitch with variable bounce.

More than 40 years have passed since India last lost two Test series at home in a row, against the West Indies in 1983 and England in 1984–85.

Before the NZ series debacle last year, India had only lost two home series since their 0-2 loss to South Africa in 2000: against Australia in 2004 and against England in 2012.