South Africa's cricket team achieved a remarkable 2-0 series win over India, their first in the country in 25 years, culminating in a 408-run triumph in the second test in Guwahati. The Proteas dominated from start to finish, showcasing strong batting and bowling performances. This success boosts their position in the World Test Championship standings.
The second test match in Guwahati saw South Africa post 489 in their first innings, powered by Senuran Muthusamy's maiden century of 109 and Marco Jansen's 93, despite Kuldeep Yadav taking 4-115 for India. India replied with 201, where Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 58 and Washington Sundar 48, but Jansen's 6-48 dismantled them. Opting against the follow-on, South Africa declared at 260 for 5 in their second innings after 78.3 overs, with Tristan Stubbs making 94 and Tony de Zorzi 49, while Ravindra Jadeja claimed 4-62.
India's second innings ended at 140 in 63.5 overs, with Jadeja top-scoring at 54, but Simon Harmer's off-spin proved decisive with 6-37. Harmer took nine wickets overall in the match for 101 runs and was named Player of the Series. Aiden Markram set a record with nine catches, mostly in the slips.
The series began with a 30-run win in Kolkata. No team had won a series in India for 12 years before New Zealand's 3-0 sweep last year, and South Africa's last single match victory there was 15 years ago. The Guwahati test ran from Saturday to Wednesday, with India fielding nearly 230 overs over four days.
Captain Temba Bavuma reflected, “Coming here, I would have never thought 2-0 would be the result at the end of the series. It’s an incredible achievement for the group of players.” He praised the spinners: “[I’m] very impressed and confident in their ability... Simon has come in and heavily bolstered our resources.” Bavuma has now won 11 of 12 tests as captain. South Africa, fresh from winning the World Test Championship mace in June against Australia, rose to second in the standings with three wins and one loss in four away matches. “It’s good times at the moment in the team,” Bavuma added. “We won’t be taking these performances for granted.”