Humiliated again! How many times have India been clean-swept in Test series at home?
South Africa won their first Test series in India in 25 years after clean sweeping the hosts 2-0 with a thumping 408-run victory in the 2nd Test in Guwahati on Wednesday. India suffered their second Test series whitewash at home under current head coach Gautam Gambhir.
What used to be a fortress has been breached and dismantled twice in consecutive years as India suffered another humiliating Test series defeat at home against South Africa on Wednesday. Temba Bavuma's reigning world Test champions thrashed Rishabh Pant-led India by 408 runs in the 2nd Test in Guwahati to clean sweep the two-match series 2-0.
Spinner Simon Harmer picked up a six-wicket haul to run through India's batting line-up in their second innings, helping the Proteas bundle out the hosts for 140 in their monstrous 549-run chase. South Africa dominated the proceedings with the bat and the ball throughout the 2nd Test in Guwahati to register an emphatic victory and clinch their first Test series on Indian soil in 25 years.
South Africa last won a Test series in India in 2000, when the Hansi Cronje-led side beat the hosts 2-0 in a two-match series. The Proteas have now become the first team to whitewash India in two Test series in their own backyard, a feat which remains a distant dream for many.
Bavuma's men also handed India their biggest-ever defeat in Tests in terms of runs. India had never lost a Test match by a margin of more than 400 runs. However, some inexplicable selection calls, brainless batting and their long-standing woes against spin led to a humiliating defeat in Guwahati, leaving India at one of their lowest points in Tests in recent times.
How many times have India been whitewashed in a Test series at home?
India have been clean-swept only thrice in a Test series at home, highlighting why their 2-0 defeat against South Africa might be one of the lowest points in India's Test history. India played their first Test series at home against England in 1933-34 and have since been whitewashed only three times in a series.
India's three clean sweeps in a Test series at home have come against South Africa (2000), New Zealand (2024) and South Africa (2025). Hansi Cronje's South Africa were the first team to whitewash India at home, when they beat the hosts 2-0 in a two-match Test series in 2000.
India suffered their second Test series whitewash at home last year after losing 3-0 to New Zealand. The series defeat against the Kiwis exposed India's spin woes and marked an end to the team's home dominance. The defeat marked an end to India's 12-year unbeaten run in Test series at home.
Clean-sweeps for India in Tests at home:
0-2 vs South Africa, 2000
0-3 vs New Zealand, 2024
0-2 vs South Africa, 2025
South Africa clean-swept India for only the third time in history after clinching the two-match series 2-0 with an emphatic 408-run win in the 2nd Test in Guwahati. The Proteas are the only team to have handed India two Test series whitewashes at home. India have lost five of their last seven Test matches at home, the first time in 25 years that they have lost as many in a two-season stretch.
India have lost five matches within a span of seven Tests at home for the first time in 66 years, marking another low for the team in the longest format. India head coach Gautam Gambhir, who has been facing the heat from all corners for the team's poor show in Tests, is the first Indian coach to have suffered two Test series whitewashes at home.