First time in 66 years! India lose five home Tests in span of seven games

The Indian cricket team’s struggle in red-ball cricket continued in Guwahati as South Africa beat them by a mammoth margin of 408 runs in the second Test of the two-match series to secure the series 2-0. South Africa won the first Test by 30 runs in Kolkata.

 

This is the first time India have lost five Test matches at home in a span of seven matches since 1959, when they lost the three-match Test series against Australia 2-0 and the five-match Test series against the West Indies 3-0.

 

Before South Africa’s 0-2 whitewash, India beat the West Indies 2-0 after losing to New Zealand 0-3 last year. This loss has also taken a big toll on India’s WTC 2025-27 chances as they have now slipped to fifth spot with a 48.18 points percentage. 

India’s biggest loss by runs in Test cricket

India’s loss against South Africa in Guwahati by 408 runs is now their official biggest loss in Test cricket by margin of runs, surpassing their previous low of a 342-run loss against Australia in 2004.

 

Full list of India’s biggest losses in Test cricket

 

Margin (runs)	Opponent	Venue	Year
408	South Africa	Guwahati	2025
342	Australia	Nagpur	2004
341	Pakistan	Karachi	2006
337	Australia	Melbourne	2007
333	Australia	Pune	2017
329	South Africa	Kolkata	1996

India clean swept at home for the third time

While India have lost a number of series at home in their Test career, this is only the third time they have been clean swept at home. The first instance came back in 2000 when South Africa beat them 2-0. The second whitewash came at the hands of New Zealand, who beat them 3-0 in 2024, and finally the latest one against South Africa 0-2.

 

Notably, India last endured back-to-back home Test series defeats in successive years more than 40 years ago, against the West Indies in 1983 and England in the 1984/85 season. 

India at Home Tests in Consecutive Seasons (Since 1999/2000)
Seasons	Matches (MTS)	Won	Lost
2024/25 & 2025/26	9	4	5
2023/24 & 2024/25	10	6	4
2004/05 & 2005/06	15	6	4
1999/00 & 2000/01	10	4	3
2003/04 & 2004/05	11	3	3

A home series without a century

India have now completed a rare home series without an individual century, something that has happened only three times in their Test history — against New Zealand in 1969/70, again versus New Zealand in 1995/96, and now against South Africa in the 2025/26 season. The batting struggles were stark in this latest series, with India’s batters averaging just 15.23, the second-lowest for them in any Test series. Only their tour of New Zealand in 2002/03, where they managed a meagre average of 12.42, ranks worse in terms of batting returns, highlighting the magnitude of the current downturn. 

Jansen-Muthusamy shine in Proteas record win

South Africa completed a landmark 408-run victory over India in the second Test at Guwahati, sealing their first Test series triumph on Indian soil in 25 years. Under Temba Bavuma, the Proteas emulated Hansie Cronje’s 1996 feat, capping a dominant performance that left India outplayed across five days.

 

The turning point of the match came on Day 2, when Senuran Muthusamy and Marco Jansen’s crucial lower-order stand shifted momentum decisively. From that moment, South Africa refused to allow India back into the contest.

 

On the final morning, India resumed hoping to survive long enough to force a draw, but their innings unraveled quickly. South Africa’s spin duo—Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj—ran riot, exploiting the surface with sharp turn, bounce variations, and relentless accuracy. Harmer bagged four wickets, removing Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, and Sai Sudharsan during a spell that broke India’s backbone, while Maharaj maintained immaculate control at the other end.

 

Sai Sudharsan showed admirable fight despite taking a painful blow to his hand, while Ravindra Jadeja tried to rebuild with sweeps and rotation of strike. Pant briefly counterattacked but fell for 13, accelerating India’s slide. Jansen’s disciplined pace and sharp fielding support kept the pressure unrelenting.

 

With India’s lower order unable to withstand the sustained assault, the hosts folded meekly, handing South Africa a historic and richly deserved series win—built on resilience, discipline, and complete dominance over the final Test.