South Africa have taken complete control of the Guwahati Test, finishing the third day with a commanding lead of 314 runs. Temba Bavuma’s side, still holding all ten wickets in their second innings, are positioned to set India a daunting fourth-innings target. Unless Rishabh Pant’s men produce something extraordinary, India face the prospect of a humiliating defeat at home, while South Africa move closer to rewriting history.
India have suffered a Test series whitewash on home soil only twice in their cricketing history. Yet the current two-match series has placed them on the brink of a third. Gautam Gambhir’s side already trail 0–1 after losing the opening Test at Eden Gardens. The second Test in Guwahati has only deepened their troubles, with their batting wobbling and bowling lacking bite. A defeat here would confirm a clean sweep for South Africa, leaving India to endure another stinging home humiliation.
South Africa were, in fact, the first team ever to whitewash India in India. During the 1999–2000 season, a Sachin Tendulkar-led side slumped to a 0–2 defeat. The second instance came only last year, when India were thrashed 0–3 by New Zealand—another series where Gambhir served as head coach. The infamous 1979 ‘Golden Jubilee Test’ loss to England is not counted as a series defeat, given it involved just one match.
Should India lose in Guwahati, they would be whitewashed at home for the third time. More significantly, South Africa would become the first country in the world to whitewash India twice in India—a landmark achievement that would underline their dominance. For Gambhir, it would also mean a deeply uncomfortable record: two home whitewashes under his coaching tenure.