Simon Harmer, the Player of the Series, was the star of South Africa’s three wins in four matches in the sub-continent, including two each in India and Pakistan, scripted a historic record for a Proteas bowler as the Test champions swept India 2-0, following a massive 408-run win in Guwahati.
Simon Harmer on his return to India after 10 long years repaid the selectors’ faith to bring him back to the national side on sub-continent Test tours as he inspired South Africa to a historic 2-0 series sweep against India, following a superb show in Pakistan. Harmer was the pick of the bowlers for the Proteas on Day 5 in Guwahati, taking a six-wicket haul, taking his overall tally to nine for the match and 17 for the series, which was the most by a South African bowler in a Test series in India.
Harmer broke Dale Steyn’s 17-year-old record, who had scalped 15 wickets on the 2008 tour. Among spinners, Paul Adams is second on the list, with 14 wickets to his name on the 1996 tour. Overall, Australia Richie Benaud has the most wickets by an overseas spinner in a bilateral Test series in India (29).
Harmer also went past Steyn’s overall tally of 26 wickets in Tests in India. Harmer now has 27 Test wickets to his name in India in just eight innings, one less than what Steyn took. The current Indian bowling coach and former quick Morne Morkel is third on the list with 21 Test wickets to his name in India.
Most wickets by a South African bowler in a Test series against India (India)
17 – Simon Harmer – 2025 (4 innings)
15 – Dale Steyn – 2008 (5 innings)
14 – Paul Adams – 1996 (5 innings)
14 – Imran Tahir – 2015 (7 innings)
12 – Marco Jansen – 2025 (4 innings)
Most Test wickets by a South African bowler in India against India
27 – Simon Harmer (8 innings)
26 – Dale Steyn (9 innings)
21 – Morne Morkel (13 innings)
18 – Makhaya Ntini (18 innings)
17 – Andrew Donald (17 innings)
Harmer, who has over 1,000 first-class wickets to his name, was just too good for the underconfident Indian batters, who were susceptible against the turn, bounce and guile of the 36-year-old, who used all of his experience to bowl South Africa to a historic series win in India.
This was the first series win for South Africa in India after 25 years, while the hosts have now been whitewashed twice in the last three home Test series and will have a lot of soul-searching to do ahead of the next Test assignment against Sri Lanka in 2026.