India slipped to fifth place as their scoring percentage dropped to 48.15, allowing Pakistan to overtake them. (BCCI photo) NEW DELHI: India suffered a major setback in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 following a 2-0 home series defeat to South Africa, capped by a crushing 408-run loss in the second Test at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.South Africa completed a historic tour to record only their second Test series win in India – and their first since the iconic triumph in 2000 under Hansie Cronje.
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The result also marked India’s biggest defeat by runs in Test cricket, adding further weight to an already dismal result.The impact was immediate in the WTC table. With 36 points from four matches, South Africa have climbed to an impressive 75% of points to consolidate second place behind Australia. Meanwhile, India slipped to fifth place as their scoring percentage dropped to 48.15, allowing Pakistan to overtake them.The tone of the match changed dramatically after a shaky start by the visitors. Senuran Muthusamy’s first international ton (109) combined with Marc Jansen’s explosive 93 pushed South Africa to 489 in the first innings. Jansen remained a central figure, returning with career-best figures of 6/48 to bowl out just 201 for India.Rather than forcing a follow-on, South Africa opted for control and patience and extended their lead through a composed second innings effort of 260/5 led by Tristan Stubbs’ fluent 94.Simon Harmer then sealed India’s fate. After taking 3/64 in the first innings, the veteran off-spinner tore through India’s batting on the fifth day with a sensational 6/37 to finish with nine wickets in the match.Despite brief resistance from Sai Sudharsan and Ravindra Jadeja – the latter top-scoring with a fighting 54 – India continued to lose wickets at regular intervals, leading to another collapse in the second session.Aiden Markram’s sharp catch and sharp fielding by South Africa capped off a dominant team performance – a performance that decisively shifted momentum early in the WTC cycle.India were whitewashed by New Zealand last October as a result. India had to beat Australia in Australia and could not make it to the finals of the previous WTC cycle as well after reaching the finals in the first two iterations and losing in the finals.
