Guwahati, Nov 26 (NationPress) The off-spinner Simon Harmer showcased an outstanding performance with figures of 6-37 as South Africa achieved a remarkable victory by 408 runs against India at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium. This victory not only clinched a dominant 2-0 series sweep but also marked South Africa's first Test series triumph in India since 2000.

Facing a daunting target of 549, India was bowled out for just 140 on the final day, with veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja being the top scorer at 54. South Africa's victory also represents India's largest defeat in terms of runs in Test history, further emphasizing their prowess as the reigning World Test Championship winners.

This win signifies a significant milestone for South Africa, as it is their first Test series victory in India in a quarter of a century, the last being under Hansie Cronje’s captaincy in 2000. Now, Temba Bavuma has successfully maintained his unbeaten record as captain in Test matches.

From the moment South Africa won the toss, the momentum was firmly in their favor. India is now left to reflect on their declining reputation as a formidable team at home, following a 3-0 loss to New Zealand last year.

Resuming at 27/2, India faced early setbacks as B Sai Sudharsan was dismissed by Marco Jansen—though it was later revealed that Jansen had overstepped. Kuldeep Yadav was also fortunate to escape when Aiden Markram dropped a catch at first slip.

Kuldeep’s stint as a nightwatchman ended at just 5 runs when Harmer’s straight delivery shattered the stumps. Just three balls later, Harmer struck again, dismissing Dhruv Jurel for 2.

Rishabh Pant provided a brief moment of hope with his aggressive batting, striking Keshav Maharaj for boundaries before falling for 13 after getting a top edge off a slower delivery from Harmer.

Harmer’s tally could have been even higher had Markram not dropped a challenging catch of Sudharsan, who became the third Indian batsman to face over a hundred balls in this series. South Africa secured three wickets in the morning session alone.

After the tea break, South Africa continued their assault, dismissing Sudharsan early in the afternoon session. Jadeja attempted to stave off defeat with aggressive shots, reaching his fifty in style with a six over deep mid-wicket. However, South Africa persisted in taking wickets, with Washington Sundar falling victim to Harmer's sharper deliveries, granting Markram his record ninth catch of the match.

Harmer secured his sixth wicket of the innings when Nitish Kumar Reddy’s reverse sweep resulted in a catch for the wicketkeeper. South Africa inched closer to victory as Jadeja’s ambitious dance down the pitch against Maharaj ended in a stumping.

In a fitting finale, Marco Jansen took a spectacular one-handed catch to dismiss Mohammed Siraj, igniting celebrations in the South African camp as they celebrated a historic victory against India on their home turf for only the second time in Test history.

Brief Scores: South Africa 489 and 260/5d in 78.3 overs (Tristan Stubbs 94; Ravindra Jadeja 4/62) beat India 201 and 140 in 63.5 overs (Ravindra Jadeja 54, Washington Sundar 16; Simon Harmer 6-37, Keshav Maharaj 2-37) by 408 runs.