South Africa beat India by 408 runs in 2nd Test at Guwahati, clean sweep series 2-0 on Tuesday in Guwahati. This was India's largest defeat in terms of runs in Test cricket.
Chasing an improbable target of 549, India were all out for 140 on the final day of the contest with Ravindra Jadeja (54) their top scorer.
Off-spinner Simon Harmer claimed 6-37 for South Africa.
The victory marked another historic milestone for the Proteas, who became the first team to beat India by over 400 runs in a Test match in their own home.
This is now only the third time that India has lost a series at home in consecutive years. It is also the first time in over six decades that India has lost five in a span of seven Tests at home.
Marco Jansen, who played the perfect all-rounder in this Test match, took a one-handed stunner to skittle India for 140 in 63.5 overs and give the Temba Bavuma-led side a victory to cherish for a long time.
Courtesy Gautam Gambhir's inexplicable tactics and selection calls, the aura of invincibility that once accompanied the team at home lay in tatters at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium on a slightly nippy Wednesday afternoon.
Off-spinner Simon Harmer's career got a second wind as he decimated the Indian team with turn, bounce and zip off the same surface on which home bowlers looked pedestrian.
Once skipper Rishabh Pant (13) was dismissed failing to counter the bounce, the writing was on the wall.
The likes of Sai Sudharsan, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel and Nitish Reddy, which is the new brigade in Test cricket simply didn't have enough preparation to read a spinner from his hands.
Sudharsan scored 14 in 139 balls but was about to be dismissed about six times and looked like getting out to every delivery.
His lack of readiness was the buck that would stop at Gambhir's door for his poor choice of personnel.
Gambhir's obsession with bits and pieces cricketers in the traditional format has left them team in a flux with none of the players sure about their places and roles in the team.
The impact of this defeat will have far reaching implications in terms of confidence and pysche of the red-ball team going forward.
It wasn't an easy pitch to survive on but the poor technique was disappointing along with the inability to read the drift, not playing with a soft bottom hand and a completely non-existent backfoot play.
Only Ravindra Jadeja (53) walked the talk when it came to putting up a good fight but there was no one at the other end to help the veteran.
In the end, lack of planning was evident and for the time, India look easily conquerable at home.