Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik South Africa, the current holders of the ICC World Test Championship, completed a 2-0 series win to whitewash India at home. The Temba Bavuma-led side beat India by 408 runs in the second Test in Guwahati on Wednesday.The result gave South Africa their biggest win over India in terms of runs in Test cricket. It was also the first time since 2000 that South Africa had won a Test series in India.
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Former Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik said that India is going through a crisis in Test cricket, adding that the team’s long run of success at home has waned after the recent 2-0 defeat.In an Instagram video, Karthik said that India’s aura has faded. “Earlier teams were afraid to come to India to play Test cricket. Now they have to lick their lips,” he said on Wednesday. “Second whitewash in the space of 12 months. There have been two whitewashes in the last three series played here in India. Times are tough for India in Test cricket and tough decisions may have to be made.”India’s problems against South Africa reflected a wider decline. The bowlers were better at home, the batsmen struggled against both pace and spin and several selections were called into question. Karthik said that uncertainty is growing in the team. “Pacers and spinners are being out-bowled in India. Too many all-rounders are playing. Nitish Reddy, the designated speed all-rounder, bowled 14 overs in the entire domestic calendar season. India had only two players to score hundreds in this Test series. South Africa had seven.”He also spoke about India’s volatile No. 3 position, which has seen frequent changes. “In the WTC cycle, India’s No. 3 holds the second-worst first innings record in a Test match, averaging 26. Who is our No. 3? Washington plays at No. 3 in Kolkata, Sai Sudharsan plays No. 3 in Guwahati. Does chopping and changing help India, or do we need more stability and consistency?”Karthik said it was unclear whether India would resolve these issues or move on once white-ball cricket resumed. “The next Test match is seven months away. Are we going to forget about it? That’s the big question. What does it take for this Test team to come back and be as good as they were?”
