"We tend to forget things very quickly" - Former selector's huge statement as hosts lose IND vs SA 2025 Tests 2-0 

Former selector Saba Karim reckons that India's 2-0 loss to South Africa at home proves that the team management have failed to build a strong Test side. According to Karim, the Proteas outshone and outclassed India in the series.

South Africa beat India by 408 runs at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Wednesday, November 26 to hand the hosts their biggest Test defeat in terms of runs. Chasing a target of 549, India resumed their second innings on Day 5 at 27-2 and capitulated to 140 all-out. Off spinner Simon Harmer once again stood out for the Proteas, claiming 6-37 in 23 overs.

During a dicussion on ESPNcricinfo, Karim directly questioned the Indian team management’s approach towards Test cricket. Sharing his thoughts on the home side's 2-0 hammering, he commented:

"This loss is distressing and all of us feel gutted. This is showing a mirror to the Indian team management. They have not done enough to build a strong Test side. They should have already done that after the loss to New Zealand in the home series. We tend to forget things very quickly and we don’t work on becoming a strong Test side. As a result, we have seen what has happened in these two Test matches again."

The 58-year-old urged for some deep introspection from the Indian camp following the shocking result against South Africa. He added:

"South Africa have outplayed and outclassed India not only in the spin department, but also in the batting department. 2-0 after 3-0 loss against New Zealand should hurt us deeply. We require deep introspection to wake up from this."

Ravindra Jadeja (54) top-scored for India on Day 5 of the Guwahati Test. However, none of the other batters could score even 20 runs.

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"They played better cricket than us" - Rishabh Pant reflects on 2-0 loss in IND vs SA 2025 Tests

Speaking after the huge defeat, Indian captain Rishabh Pant admitted that South Africa were the better side and deserved to win. He also asserted that the Indian team will learn from their mistakes and look to improve. Pant said (via Cricbuzz):

"Definitely it's a little disappointing, but as a team we need to get better. And you've got to give credit to the opposition that they played better cricket than us. In a series like this, which has already been tough if you dwell too much... you've got to take the learnings and stick as a team.

"You're playing at home, but at the same time we need to be clear with our mindset. And there were moments where we were up in the game, but we didn't capitalize on it as a team," he added.

On a personal level, Pant had a disappointing Test series with the bat. In four innings, he only managed 49 runs at an average of 12.125, with a best of 27.