There was a lot of talk about the current Indian squad taking South Africa by surprise in the two-match Test series in South Africa and conquer the final frontier in the SENA countries.
Instead, India were handed a drubbing in what was a heavily one-sided affair. India succumbed to an innings defeat, losing by a margin of innings and 32 runs.
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This was India's first innings defeat against South Africa since 2010. With this loss, India's hopes of winning their first-ever Test series on South African have been dashed.
However, they salvaged their pride in the second Test by winning the game by seven wickets, the series ending in a 1-1 draw.
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How have India performed in SENA countries since 2013?
In 2013, India played just one Test series in SENA countries, a two-match Test series against South Africa which resulted in a 1-0 loss. MS Dhoni was the captain at the time.
Since 2013, India have toured South Africa four times (including the 2023-24 Test series), England thrice, New Zealand twice, and Australia thrice. Apart from the bilateral series, India have also played in two World Test Championship (WTC) Finals, both of them taking place in England, UK.
In the last decade, India have played 44 Tests in SENA countries (42 in bilateral Test series and 2 WTC Finals), winning 11, losing 25, and drawing eight Tests.
| Tests played | Won | Drawn/Tie | Lost | NR |
| 44 | 11 | 8 | 25 | 0 |
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India's Test record in South Africa since 2013
India have toured South Africa four times since 2013, including the recently-concluded Test series. They have played 11 Tests, losing seven, winning three, and drawing one Test.
| Tests played | Won | Drawn/Tie | Lost | NR |
| 11 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
India's Test record in England since 2013
India have toured England thrice since 2013, playing 15 Tests against the Englishmen and two more Tests in the WTC Finals.
While India's tours to England in 2014 and 2018 were forgetful, losing 3-1 and 4-1 respectively, they actually had a chance to defeat the Brits in their own den, gaining a 2-1 lead after four Tests in a five-match Test series. However, England won the final Test as the series ended in a 2-2 draw.
| Tests played | Won | Drawn/Tie | Lost | NR |
| 17 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 0 |
India's Test record in New Zealand since 2013
India have toured the Kiwis just twice since 2013: in 2014 and then in 2020. They played four Tests, with India failing to win a single Test.
| Tests played | Won | Drawn/Tie | Lost | NR |
| 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
India's Test record in Australia since 2013
While India have struggled to stamp their authority in South Africa, England, and New Zealand, they have actually conquered the Australian land not once, but twice since 2013.
After losing the 2014-15 Test series 2-0, India won the next two Test series in Australia 2-1, including India's historic win at the Gabba, a graveyard for the touring teams.
| Tests played | Won | Drawn/Tie | Lost | NR |
| 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
What next for India?
With the South Africa tour wrapped up, India will shift their focus on the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan from January 11-17 followed by the five-match Test series against England that starts on January 25. Both the series will be played in India.
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