No tons from Indian batters in SA Tests, second-lowest average in any Test series

Guwahati, Nov 27: India’s batting frailties were laid bare once again as South Africa stormed to a crushing 408-run victory in the second Test at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, completing a 2-0 sweep and sealing their first series win on Indian soil in a quarter of a century.
The emphatic result also handed India their second home whitewash under head coach Gautam Gambhir and only the third in their Test history.
The defeat added another unwelcome chapter to India’s recent red-ball decline at home. South Africa had first blanked India 2-0 back in 2000, while New Zealand repeated the feat with a 3-0 drubbing last year. This latest setback, however, felt particularly alarming given the manner in which India’s batting order crumbled throughout the two-match series.
Across four innings, Indian batters mustered an average of just 15.23 — their second-worst return in any Test series, better only than the 12.42 they managed against New Zealand in the 2002-03 home season. Not a single Indian batter reached three figures in this series, marking just the third occasion since 1969–70 that India failed to produce a century in a home Test series.
Washington Sundar emerged as India’s top scorer with 124 runs at 31.00, while Ravindra Jadeja followed with a modest 105. The established names, however, endured a torrid fortnight. Yashasvi Jaiswal scraped together 83 runs, KL Rahul 68, and Rishabh Pant just 49, as South Africa’s bowlers exposed technical flaws and a lack of adaptability under pressure.
For the visitors, the series was a statement of dominance. Marco Jansen, instrumental with both bat and ball in Guwahati, claimed the Player of the Match award, while off-spinner Simon Harmer — who tormented India throughout — was named Player of the Series. The 408-run win also stands as South Africa’s second-biggest victory by margin of runs, behind only their 492-run triumph over Australia in 2018. (Agencies)