Inside 194 minutes and 48 overs on the final day, India’s capitulation was complete, their surrender abject. The irreparable crumbling of an empire was formalised with the dismissal of Mohammed Siraj to a spectacular running catch from Marco Jansen at the ACA Stadium, consigning India to their heaviest Test defeat by runs and exploding the aura of invincibility they had cloaked themselves in for a dozen years, between 2013 and 2024.

South Africa, the reigning World Test champions, lived up to that standing by storming to a gargantuan 408-run ­­triumph on Wednesday afternoon, sealing a well-merited 2-0 sweep, more than 25 and a half years after Hansie Cronje’s side had eked out a similar scoreline in early 2000. This marked the second home whitewash for India in the last 12 and a half months, raising massive questions about their commitment to the five-day game as well as a series of iffy decisions primarily but not exclusively revolving around team selection.