Team India succumbed to their second home Test series whitewash in as many years as South Africa handed them a crushing defeat in Guwahati on Wednesday (November 26). The reigning World Test champions hammered India by 408 runs, sealing their first series win in India in 25 years.
After setting India a colossal target of 549 on Day 4, the Proteas bowled out the hosts for 140 in the final innings, needing little more than a single session on the final day to complete the resounding victory.
This was the second time in a span of just 12 months that India ended up being whitewashed in a home Test series. New Zealand won three consecutive Test matches on Indian soil last year.
Following the debacle against South Africa, former all-rounder Irfan Pathan highlighted how in a battle of pacers, a young Marco Jansen outperformed Indian spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.
Pathan also laid down the roadmap for Indian Test team as the road to ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final now looks difficult.
"It is very shameful how India have played at home against South Africa. This has been going on in the recent past. They lost poorly against New Zealand and now against South Africa. It never looked like you had the skill in both batting and bowling. Simon Harmer did the same thing that (Mitchell) Santner had done when New Zealand came," Pathan said while speaking on his YouTube channel.
Simon Harmer was declared 'Player of the Series' for his 17 wickets in two Tests. While appreciating the off-spinner’s brilliance, he called out India's "poor technique" against spin.
"Our technique against spinners is very poor, and we have to improve it. Harmer went ahead of our spinners. He had a brilliant variation. South Africa defeated us at home, even with players like (Kagiso) Rabada (the pacer) not being there," Pathan added.
He also mentioned how Jansen went ahead of Bumrah with his impact in terms of batting, bowling and getting "bounce and wickets".
"Jansen was ahead of Bumrah. If we talk of impact in batting, bowling, the way he was getting bounce and getting wickets. Our fast bowlers, who we think are the best, if we think Bumrah is the best, if someone is going ahead of him in wickets and impact, we are lagging," he said.
Not only did Jansen played a match-winning knock of 93 in 91 studded with six fours and seven sixes in Proteas' first innings, he also claimed a six-wicket haul to bowl out India for 201 in reply to their 489 runs. In contrast, Bumrah returned with just two scalps wickets in the match.
Jansen finished the series with 12 wickets at an average of 10.08, with best figures of 6/48. On the other hand, Bumrah could pick up just eight across four innings, averaging 18.50, with a five-wicket haul in Kolkata Test being his highlight.
Pathan acknowledged that qualifying for the WTC final "looks extremely difficult" since India could have to win all their games, including away tours to Sri Lanka and New Zealand and a home series against Australia.
"You will have to award players who are doing well in domestic cricket and batting well against spin. If someone like Sarfaraz (Khan) is out, at least on pure cricketing reasons, it is beyond my understanding as to why such players are not in the team. You will have to bring them in. Otherwise, you will have clearly evident problems."
"You are playing five Tests against Australia at home next, against Sri Lanka away, you will get conditions where you will have to play spin well, and you need to prepare for it from now. Target players who play spin well, track their performances and give them more chances. Back them. Give them all the games and stability," he concluded.
(With ANI Inputs)
