3 instances where India faced whitewash in Test series at home

India‘s proud home record in Test cricket has suffered a devastating blow with a 0-2 whitewash against South Africa in 2025, their third cleanup on home soil and the first since then New Zealand‘s 3-0 win in 2024. This marks South Africa’s second win in India, a reflection of their dominance in 2000 after 25 years, when they crushed India by 408 runs in Guwahati – the hosts’ biggest Test defeat by runs. Under head coach Gautam GambhirThe back-to-back home series losses against the SENA nations have destroyed the invincibility built up over the last decade, dropping India to fifth place in the rankings. World Test Championship ranking. Fans and analysts are now questioning the end of India’s fortress era, with five home Test defeats in seven matches – the most since 1959.

Three times India were whitewashed in the home Test series

1. South Africa’s groundbreaking mission in 2000

The first home whitewash came during the 1999–2000 South African tour, a two-match Test series in which Hansie Cronje‘s Proteas triumphed 2–0, ending a 13-year drought for visiting teams in India. At Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, South Africa chased 236 to win by four wickets after India folded for 225 and 113, with Shaun Pollock And Allan Donald dismantling the batter. The decider from Bengaluru saw India crumble to an innings defeat, bowled out for 250 chasing 400, while Nicky Boje claimed a five-wicket, 85-run haul for Player of the Series honors Jacques Kallis. This series, later tainted by match-fixing scandals involving Cronje, exposed India’s vulnerabilities in pace and spin.

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2. New Zealand’s shock 3-0 win in 2024

Fast forward to October-November 2024, New Zealand inflicted India’s first ever 0–3 home whitewash in a three-Test series, the Black Caps’ first win on Indian fields and India‘s first multi-Test house cleaning in 24 years. Spinners Ajaz Patel (11 wickets in the final) and Glenn Phillips dominated and defended despite the 146 in Mumbai Rishabh pants‘s counter-attack 64, while India managed just 29 for 5 early. Previous losses in Bengaluru (including a 46 all out) and Pune highlighted the batting collapse against pace and spin, with Rohit Sharma‘s side lost 37 wickets to spinners – the most at home in such a series. This rare feat made New Zealand only the fourth side to whitewash India in a 3+ Test rubber

3. Proteas repeat history with dominance in 2025

South Africa regained glory in November 2025, completing a 2-0 sweep – their first in India since 2000 – via a 30-run maiden Test win in Kolkata and a colossal 408-run thrashing in Guwahati, India’s biggest home defeat by points. In the hunt for 549, India collapsed to 140 on Day 5 Simon Harmer And Marco Jansen overwhelmed the line-up, without Indian innings reaching 250. Stand-in captain Pant’s side failed to score a century in both Tests, a drought not seen since 1969, tightening scrutiny on Gambhir’s aggressive blueprint amid successive whitewashing. These setbacks are detrimental to India World Test Championship hope, indicating a turbulent transition.

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