South African off-spinner Simon Harmer dismissed Indian all-rounder Washington Sundar on the third day of the second and final Test at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. Team India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir looked quite disappointed with the dismissal of the popular batsman in the first innings.
On Monday, 24 November, the Men in Blue lost seven wickets for 122 runs in reply to South Africa’s 489. However, Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav showed resistance with the bat against the South African bowling attack. The batting pair added 72 runs off 208 balls for the eighth wicket before Sundar was dismissed.
Gautam Gambhir in shock after Washington Sundar’s dismissal
Washington Sundar’s innings ended when Simon Harmer found an outside edge. Harmer bowled a slower ball outside off and Sundar pushed with an open face. Aiden Markram made no mistake at first slip and ended the crucial innings with 48 runs in 92 balls.
This partnership had disappointed South Africa for a long time. Harmer looked clearly excited after the success, especially as the second new ball was arriving. Sundar, who had looked calm till that moment, had to pay the price for an error in judgement.
Gautam Gambhir was left in shock after being dismissed, which caught the attention of the cricket community. Sundar has scored only 22 runs in 68 balls against Harmer and has been his victim twice.
– Drizzyat12Kennyat8 (@45kennyat7PM) 24 November 2025
‘Sack Gambhir’ trend is causing turmoil in India due to South Africa
India’s struggles in the ongoing Test series have sparked strong reactions online, with the hashtag #SacGambhir gaining momentum as fans expressed their disappointment over Gautam Gambhir’s tenure as head coach. Many felt that the team’s approach and decision-making had repeatedly let them down.
The setback in Guwahati will further add to India’s poor performance in red-ball cricket since Gambhir took charge. Before this series, India had already lost Test series to New Zealand and Australia and could only manage one draw against England.
It is noteworthy that last year India had to face 0-3 defeat against New Zealand. This was India’s first Test series defeat at home since 2012–13. They are now on the verge of losing another home series. The Proteas last won a Test series in India in 1999–2000, when they won it 2–0.
India all out for 201 runs in first innings Guwahati
India started the day at 9/0 and Yashasvi Jaiswal (58 from 97 balls) looked the most settled among the batsmen. KL Rahul also got a good start but Keshav Maharaj dismissed him for 22 runs. The rest of the top-order players struggled.
Sai Sudarshan, who returned to the eleven, scored only 15 runs, while Dhruv Jurel (0) and Rishabh Pant (7) were out after playing bad shots. Ravindra Jadeja, who was in great form, could score only 6 runs.
Washington Sundar scored 48 while batting at No. 8 after starting the series at No. 3, while Kuldeep Yadav, who scored 19 off 134 balls, helped India recover from 122/7 to reach a total of 201.
Marco Johnson ran India’s middle and lower order. He took the wickets of Jurel, Pant, Reddy, Jadeja, Kuldeep and Jasprit Bumrah. Simon Harmer took 3 wickets for 64 runs, while Maharaj got one wicket.
Also read: Ruturaj Gaikwad dropped from India’s playing eleven against South Africa