Former England Test captain Michael Vaughan didn’t hold back in trolling former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer after India suffered a 2-0 series defeat at home against South Africa. Vaughan took to social media to tag Jaffer and commented, “Don’t worry. I know how you are feeling.”
The Guwahati Test saw India facing an improbable target of 549 runs to win. However, they were struggling at 27/2 at the end of Day 4 and eventually collapsed on Day 5, losing their last eight wickets for just 113 runs. This resulted in South Africa clinching their first Test series victory on Indian soil in 25 years, with Simon Harmer being the standout performer, taking six wickets in the second innings and winning the Player of the Series award for his 17 wickets at an impressive average of 8.94.
Following this defeat, India has slipped to fifth place in the latest World Test Championship (WTC) points table, making their chances of qualifying for the WTC final in 2027 highly unlikely. Notably, Jaffer had initially mocked Vaughan after England’s embarrassing loss to Australia, to which Vaughan responded after South Africa’s dominant performance in the series.
The 408-run defeat in the Guwahati Test marked India’s heaviest defeat in Test cricket by runs. South Africa piled on 489 runs in their first innings, putting immense pressure on the Indian team. Despite conceding a 288-run lead, South Africa chose not to enforce the follow-on and added another 260 runs in their second innings, setting India a massive target of 549 runs to win.
While Ravindra Jadeja showed some resistance with a quickfire 54, the rest of the Indian batters failed to deliver yet again, resulting in a disappointing performance. Temba Bavuma became only the second Proteas captain after Hansie Cronje to win a Test series in India.
In conclusion, South Africa’s dominant performance, coupled with India’s struggles, led to a historic series victory for the visitors. The defeat has raised questions about India’s form and their chances in the upcoming Test matches.
