Bharat‘s esteemed home performance in Test cricket has been dealt a serious blow with a 0-2 loss to South Africa in 2025, marking their third total defeat on familiar grounds and the first since New Zealand‘s 3-0 victory in 2024. This represents South Africa’s second series triumph in Bharat, mirroring their 2000 dominance after a quarter-century, as they overwhelmed Bharat by 408 runs in Guwahati—the hosts’ most significant Test loss by runs. With head coach Gautam Gambhir at the helm, consecutive home series defeats against SENA nations have disrupted the aura of strength built over a decade, causing Bharat to slip to fifth place in the World Test Championship standings. Enthusiasts and experts are now debating whether this marks the end of Bharat’s stronghold-era, citing five home Test losses in seven matches—the highest since 1959.
Three instances when Bharat faced complete defeat in home Test series
- South Africa’s initial clean sweep in 2000
The initial home setback occurred during the 1999-2000 South Africa tour, a two-match Test series where Hansie Cronje‘s Proteas emerged victorious 2-0, ending a 13-year wait for visiting teams in Bharat. At Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, South Africa successfully chased 236, winning by four wickets after Bharat collapsed for 225 and 113, with Shaun Pollock and Allan Donald dismantling the batting lineup. The decisive match in Bengaluru witnessed Bharat falling to an innings defeat, getting bowled out for 250 while chasing 400, as Nicky Boje secured a five-wicket haul and earned Player of the Series accolades along with Jacques Kallis. This series, later marred by match-fixing allegations involving Cronje, highlighted Bharat’s weaknesses against both pace and spin.
- New Zealand’s surprising 3-0 Victory in 2024
Moving forward to October-November 2024, New Zealand handed Bharat their first-ever 0-3 home defeat in a three-Test series, marking the Black Caps’ inaugural series victory on Bharat’s pitches and Bharat‘s first multi-Test home loss in 24 years. Spinners Ajaz Patel (11 wickets in the final match) and Glenn Phillips shone, successfully defending 146 in Mumbai despite Rishabh Pant‘s aggressive 64, while Bharat struggled, scoring only 29 for 5 early on. Previous losses in Bengaluru (including being all out for 46) and Pune emphasized batting collapses against both pace and spin, with Rohit Sharma‘s team losing 37 wickets to spinners—the highest at home in such a series. This unusual achievement made New Zealand only the fourth team to defeat Bharat completely in a 3+ Test series.
- Proteas replicate history with 2025 supremacy
South Africa regained prominence in November 2025, securing a 2-0 victory—their first in Bharat since 2000—with a 30-run win in the first Test in Kolkata and a significant 408-run victory in Guwahati, which marked Bharat’s most considerable home defeat by runs. While chasing 549, Bharat collapsed to 140 all out on the fifth day, as Simon Harmer and Marco Jansen overwhelmed the batting order, with no Bharat innings surpassing 250. Stand-in captain Pant’s team failed to achieve a century across both Tests, a scarcity unseen since 1969, amplifying examination of Gambhir’s aggressive strategy amid back-to-back losses. These setbacks affect Bharat’s chances in the World Test Championship, indicating a challenging transition.
