All out for 140, India hand South Africa 408 reasons to celebrate the clean sweep

There was no miracle or glorious fightback. No individual brilliance or dogged defiance. India caved in on the final day of the second Test in Guwahati as South African spinners exposed the frailty of the hosts' batting line-up.

India were all out for 140; the 408-run defeat was the biggest loss by runs. For the victors, Simon Harmer picked up six wickets and Keshav Maharaj two. Marco Jansen and centurion Senuran Muthusamy picked one each. 

Harmer became the bowler with the most Test wickets for South Africa in India, going past Dale Steyn. With nine catches, Aiden Markram went past Ajinkya Rahane with the most catches in a Test match. Temba Bavuma, with 11 victories in 12 matches, became the captain without losing a Test.

Ravindra Jadeja, the only one to show some intent to score, helped himself to a 54 before being stumped, straying way down the pitch.

With the loss, the hosts handed the Proteas their first clean sweep in India. Gautam Gambhir-coached side also ended the second year in a row with losses in Test series. Last year this time, New Zealand whitewashed India with a historic 3-0 pasting.

The Barsapara track was one of the best Indian tracks in recent times, where batters with proper technique and application were able to score, as the pacers who knew their lengths excelled and the spinners with guile ruled the roost. India, in the end, failed in all departments. 

Questions will be asked about the technical aspects, where most top-order batters looked to defend from the middle stump against spinners, while Harmer outfoxed them with arm balls.

Harmer was a man on a mission, outbowling senior pro Keshav Maharaj. His pace variations were subtle but effective in keeping Indians guessing. He used the rough areas created by the pacers. He was so effective in the morning session that Temba Bavuma did not consider calling on Muthusamy's duties until after tea.

After eight wickets in Kolkata, Harmer picked nine in the current game. His exploits with the flight and turn meant that no top-order batter attempted to attack him until Jadeja decided to step out and dictate terms. But by then, India were six down and deep in a hole. 

South African batters used the sweep and reverse sweep quite effectively. The standing-in captain was forced to change the fielding to stop the run flow. But Bavuma had many close-in fielders as the home team looked to play the defensive game.

Winning and squaring the series were out of question as India resumed the day five at 27 for 2. Batters showed no intention of a fight back and looked resolved to defend the whole day through. But there were early signs of things to come. Sai Sudarshan, known for his free-flowing stroke play, was caught behind off a no-ball.

By tea, India were 90 for 5. Fifty more runs, and India collapsed to another whitewash.