Team India out of WTC Final Race After Embarrassing Loss to South Africa at Home?

India’s aspirations of reaching the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final have taken a major hit after an embarrassing home series loss to South Africa. This result has pushed them to the brink of elimination in this cycle. In the opening Test at Eden Gardens, India failed to chase a target of 124, collapsing to 93 all out in an innings dominated by South Africa’s spinners.

Even in the second Test at Guwahati, South Africa dominated India to clinch both the match and the series. Electing to bat first, the visitors posted 489, with contributions from the entire batting lineup. India's top order collapsed from 95/1 to 122/7, eventually being all out for 201, handing South Africa a massive first-innings lead of 288.

In their second innings, South Africa declared at 260/5, setting India a target of 549 runs. India's batting order failed miserably in the second innings as well, getting bowled out for 140 and losing the match by a massive margin of 408 runs. The result not only highlighted an easy series victory for South Africa but also showed India’s vulnerability under pressure. With this win, the Proteas showed why they are among the best cricket teams in the world.

India WTC Final Qualification Scenario: Men in Blue Out of the Race?

The series setback against South Africa has dragged India down to fifth position in the WTC points table 2025–27 WTC table. Across nine matches so far, the side has collected only four victories, along with four defeats and a draw, leaving their points percentage at 48.15%.

What makes the situation even more concerning is the pattern of home failures in this cycle. India were known for their unreal consistency on home soil, but the team has now suffered multiple hurdles that have taken away the long-held reputation.

Australia and South Africa are strengthening their grip on the top positions, and India’s path to the final has become drastically tougher. Unless they produce an extraordinary turnaround in the upcoming fixtures, India chances for WTC Final are fading rapidly. Here is the full WTC points table 2025-27:

Proteas Hand India the Biggest Loss in Test Cricket at Home

In the second Test of the 2025 series at Guwahati, South Africa handed India a historic defeat, winning by 408 runs, the biggest loss by runs in India’s Test history. The Proteas dominated from the start, scoring 489 in their first innings and then declaring at 260/5 in the second, setting India an almost impossible target of 549 runs.

India’s batting lineup completely fell apart under pressure, being bowled out for just 201, with only a handful of middle-order batsmen showing some resistance. Marco Jansen and spinner Simon Harmer exploited every weakness, keeping the Indian batsmen under constant pressure, and it felt as if the home side was struggling to counter spin in their own conditions. With his performance, Jansen established his credentials as one of the best all-rounders in the world.

This marks only the third occasion in which India has suffered back-to-back home series defeats. Additionally, it is the first time in more than sixty years that the team has lost five out of seven Test matches on home soil. This crushing defeat not only marks a major low in India’s Test history, surpassing the previous 342-run loss to Australia in Nagpur in 2004, but also exposes issues in batting and team management's decision-making.