Unbeaten run! Temba Bavuma rewriting the record books for South Africa

NEW DELHI: Temba Bavuma has firmly stamped his authority as South Africa’s finest Test captain, guiding his side to a ruthless 2-0 series triumph over India in Guwahati. With a massive 408-run win in the second Test, South Africa delivered one of the most dominant displays ever seen on Indian soil, leaving India completely outplayed.

Bavuma’s leadership and consistent form rewritten record books.

Second clean swipe by Proteas on Indian soil

With this series win, Bavuma became only the second South African captain (after Hansie Cronje in 2000) to whitewash India at home. To put it in perspective, here are all the instances of India being whitewashed on home soil in recent history:

- 0-2 vs South Africa, 2000 (under Hansie Cronje)

- 0-3 vs New Zealand, 2024

- 0-2 vs South Africa, 2025 (under Bavuma)

Unbeaten run as Test captain

Bavuma has also achieved a remarkable milestone as a captain. In his first 12 Test matches at the helm, he has:

-Matches: 12

-Wins: 11

-Losses: 0

-Draws: 1 (rain-affected game at Port of Spain last year)

By winning 11 out of 12, Bavuma surpassed legends like Ben Stokes and Lindsay Hassett, who had 10 wins each in their first 12 matches. His only missed result was the Port of Spain draw, leaving him unbeaten in all completed matches so far.

‘It’s massive’: Bavuma

At the post-match presentation, Bavuma reflected on this historic series win, saying it was “massive” to come to India and leave with a 2-0 victory.

He credited the team’s resilience, acknowledging that South Africa had gone through tough periods in the past.

"It's massive. Not every day you can come to India and walk away with a 2-0 series win. What's special is we had dark days as a group and it's a credit to them."

"There's a big shift in our mindsets in terms of what we want to do. I think our preparation is something - guys go out there looking to contribute."

This series cements Bavuma’s reputation as one of the most successful and consistent Test captains in the modern era, combining smart leadership with inspiring personal performance.