In 2017, Simon Harmer signed the ‘Kolpak Deal’ to play for the English county team Essex. Harmer had given up hope of playing Test cricket for South Africa. This off-spinner played for the first time in India with the South African team that toured India in 2015, but he had an average performance in this series. After which his chances of playing another Test match in India were almost over. However, Harmer has performed brilliantly on the current tour of India, playing an important role in helping the South African team achieve a historic 2-0 win in the two-match series.

What did Simon say about playing after 2015?

After registering a big win of 408 runs in the Guwahati Test against India, Simon Harmer said on Wednesday, ‘I never thought that I would get another chance in international cricket and I also never thought that I would come to India to play again. To be here, to win the series 2-0 and to be named player of the series, it is very special. I think it will take some time to understand and assimilate it and this is a very special victory for us.

Statement given on the historic victory in India

Simon Harmer said in response to a question asked by ‘PTI’, ‘Yes, I think when I signed the Kolpak deal, one of the conditions was that I would never be able to play for my country again, so I had accepted this fact.’

Harmer, who won the ‘Player of the Series’ award by taking 17 wickets in two Test matches in India, was expecting an excellent performance from himself on this tour. He said, ‘I always wanted to be able to look back at the end of my career and say that I was the best for myself.

Team India’s losing streak in Test cricket is not ending. After Kolkata, South Africa defeated Team India in Guwahati also. The visiting team won the second Test played in Guwahati by a huge margin of 408 runs. With this, South Africa won the series 2-0. After 25 years, the South African team has won the Test series in India. In terms of runs, this is India’s biggest defeat in Test cricket.

South Africa wins test series in India after 25 years

South Africa last won a Test series in India in 2000 under the captaincy of Hansie Cronje. At that time too, under the captaincy of Hansie Cronje, South Africa had won the two-match Test series 2-0. Now after 25 years, Temba Bavuma has repeated the same feat. The victory of 408 runs is South Africa’s second biggest victory in Test cricket.

In the Guwahati Test, South Africa had set a target of 549 runs for India in the fourth innings, in response to which Team India was all out for 140 runs. Spinner Simon Harmer took 6 wickets. Marco Jansen, who performed brilliantly with bat and ball, got the title of Player of the Match. Simon Harmer became the player of the series.

India has got a clean sweep in the Test series at home for the second consecutive time. Earlier, New Zealand had clean swept Team India in the three-match Test series. Now South Africa has given a clean sweep in the two-match test series. After almost 40 years, India has got a clean sweep in two consecutive Test series at home.

India got a clean sweep at home for the third time

0-2 vs South Africa, 2000
0-3 vs New Zealand, 2024
0-2 vs South Africa, 2025

India’s biggest defeat in Test cricket (by margin of runs)

408 runs vs South Africa, Guwahati, 2025
342 runs vs Australia, Nagpur, 2004
341 runs vs Pakistan, Karachi, 2006
337 runs vs Australia, Melbourne, 2007
333 runs vs Australia, Pune, 2017
329 runs vs South Africa, Kolkata, 1996

South Africa’s last three test series in Asia

2-0 win against Bangladesh, 2024
1-1 draw against Pakistan, 2025
2-0 win against India, 2025

India defend home series after losing 1st test: India had suffered a shameful defeat in the first match of the ongoing 2-match Test series between India and South Africa. The defeat of the Kolkata Test showed that Team India is no longer as strong at home as it used to be. The impenetrable fort of the Indian team at its home ground has now collapsed. Last year, under the coaching of Gautam Gambhir, Team India had to face a clean sweep at home against New Zealand. While chasing the target of 124 runs in the Kolkata Test, the Indian team collapsed for just 93 runs. Now the question in the minds of all Indian fans is whether India can make a comeback in this series?

In the last five decades, there have been seven home Test series where India lost its first match. In six of these, Team India avoided losing the series, won five series and drew one. Only once in 2024 did the Indian team face defeat in the series after losing the first match against New Zealand.

How many times was the series successful in saving

England 1972–73: India was trailing 0-1 in this series after the defeat in Delhi. After this, Team India won against England in Kolkata and Chennai and took a lead of 2-1 and the last two tests were drawn.

Australia 2001: After losing the series by 10 wickets in Mumbai, India won thrillers in Kolkata and Chennai to win the home series 2–1.

South Africa 2009–10: The Indian team had to face an innings defeat in the first Test in Nagpur. In the next match, India defeated South Africa in Kolkata and drew the series 1-1.

Australia 2016–17: In the first Test played in Pune, India had to face a defeat of 333 runs. After this, Team India won the series 2-1 by winning in Bengaluru and Dharamsala.

England 2020-21: In this series, India had to face defeat by 227 runs in the Chennai Test. After this, Team India won the series 3-1 with three consecutive wins.

England 2023-24: In this series, after the defeat in Hyderabad, they won in Vizag, Rajkot, Ranchi and Dharamshala and won the series 4-1. For the first time in 112 years, a team won a 5-match Test series 4-1, even after losing the first match.

Since 1972, India has won the series five times and converted it into a draw once after losing the series 0-1 at home. The only exception is the 3-0 clean sweep against New Zealand in 2024.