IND vs SA 2025: 'Jansen outshone Bumrah' - Former India all-rounder's blunt assessment after India's record loss to South Africa

Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan was blunt in expressing that Marco Jansen had more impact in the recently-concluded Test series between India and South Africa than Jasprit Bumrah. Jansen was awarded the Player of the Match accolade for his all-round outing in Guwahati Test.

Irfan placed Jansen at a higher pedestal than India's star performer in Test cricket. and underscored how far India were from South Africa in multiple aspects.

"Marco Jansen outshone Bumrah in terms of impact, both in bowling and batting, the way he was getting bounce and taking wickets with bouncers, our fast bowlers - whom we consider the best - really stood out. If we agree that Bumrah is the best, then someone else must be ahead of him in terms of impact and taking wickets. That’s something to think about - that we’re a bit behind everywhere, whether it’s about combinations or skills. We were way behind," stated Jansen in a video on his YouTube channel.

Before moving on to commend Simon Harmer's variations throughout the series and the Proteas' overall performance, the erstwhile all-rounder spoke highly on South African Test skipper Temba Bavuma.

"Look, South Africa have won a home series against us after 25 years. And they completely dominated. Truly commendable. Under Temba Bavuma’s captaincy, South Africa have won 11 out of the last 12 matches. Yeah, Temba, his team definitely deserves some praise here. Their spinner is good, but Harmer stands out with his variations. There's difference between when he bowls fast and then bowls slow, and he mixes it up with great trajectory too. All this just shows South Africa’s story, their upward graph, how far they've come," he added.

Jansen picked up 12 wickets in four innings as compared to Bumrah's eight in as many innings. He also contributed significantly with the bat, scoring a vital 93 in South Africa's first innings in Guwahati. Bumrah scored only seven runs in four innings, with a highest score of 5.

The last time India lost two Test series at home across two consecutive years was over 40 years ago. They were defeated by West Indies in 1983 and against England in the 1984-85 season.