Match overview

South Africa beat India by 408 runs at Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on 22 November 2025. South Africa won the toss, chose to bat, and posted 489 in their first innings. India replied with 201. South Africa then declared their second innings at 260/5, leaving India to chase 549. The hosts were bowled out for 140. Marco Jansen, who took 7 wickets for 71 runs, was named player of the match.

The margin tells most of the story. India were never truly in the contest after South Africa's first innings. Tristan Stubbs's 143 off 292 balls provided the foundation for a total that was more than double the venue's average first-innings score of 188 across 25 matches at this ground. Once South Africa set a target in excess of 500, the result was largely a formality.

For India, scores of 201 and 140 at home raise uncomfortable questions about the batting order. Ravindra Jadeja worked hard with the ball, sending down 56.5 overs and taking 6 wickets for 156 runs, but India's batters offered too little in both innings.

Venue and conditions

Barsapara Cricket Stadium has hosted 25 matches, with an average first-innings score of 188 and an average second-innings score of 164. Those are modest totals, and South Africa's 489 was a significant outlier. Toss-winning sides have opted to field in 73% of matches here, which makes South Africa's decision to bat first a notable one. It paid off.

Chasing sides have succeeded in just 46% of matches at the venue, so there was already a statistical tilt against whichever team batted last. In this case, India needed 549 to win, a figure that removed all context from the chase-success statistics. The surface provided enough for both Jansen's pace and Harmer's off-spin, and India found neither comfortable across eight combined wickets in the second innings alone.

How to watch

Test cricket between India and South Africa is broadcast on Sky Sports Cricket in the UK, with live streaming available through Sky Go and NOW TV. Day's play in India typically begins around 04:00 GMT, which means early-morning viewing for UK fans. Sky Sports provides ball-by-ball coverage across all five scheduled days, and BBC Test Match Special offers radio coverage for ICC-sanctioned Test series.

Highlights and same-day clips are generally available on the Sky Sports website for subscribers, and the ECB's arrangement with broadcasters means follow-on matches in the series should be available on the same platforms.

Recent form

South Africa arrive at this fixture having beaten India in their most recent meeting but carrying a mixed run overall in 2025: losses to Pakistan on three of their last five completed outings before this match suggest a team capable of both strong and poor performances depending on conditions and opposition.

India's recent form is similarly uneven. They beat Australia twice in succession before losing their most recent completed fixture, also against South Africa. The head-to-head ledger still favours India, who lead 60 wins to 50 across 118 Test and multi-format meetings, but South Africa will take considerable confidence from a 408-run win on Indian soil. The series continues, and India will need a significant response from their senior batters if the result in Guwahati is not to set a damaging tone.