Indian fans’ meltdown continues after Test disaster, now they’re blaming ‘tea’

WEB DESK: If Indian cricket needed a new low point, Guwahati delivered it with fireworks, and, according to enraged fans online, with a very suspicious tea break.

After getting bulldozed by South Africa in a 2–0 home whitewash, India’s worst-ever defeat in terms of runs in Test history, the mood across the Indian cricket fandom has swung from disbelief to full-blown meltdown. And in classic desi-internet style, the memes and the blame game have spiraled into peak chaos.

This time, the tea is taking the hit.

Following India’s dismal collapse, bowled out for just 140 while chasing a near-impossible 549, fans turned sarcastic online, declaring that the unusual timing of the tea break “before eating” messed with the team’s rhythm. Social media has been buzzing with comments like, “The tea did it. Not the spinners. Not the batting collapse. Just the TEA,” and, “Tea break ruined the chakras. Match gone.” It’s satire, but the saltiness is overflowing.

South Africa sealed the series with a clean sweep, winning on Indian soil in Guwahati, the same ground where they once again exposed India’s spin-first strategy and tangled tactics. Their spinners toyed with India’s batters, who looked utterly helpless across the final day.

The defeat comes amid a raging storm around head coach Gautam Gambhir, whose tenure has been marked by chaos: a 0–3 humiliation against New Zealand, now a 2–0 home whitewash against South Africa, and India’s first home Test series loss to South Africa in 25 years. What was once considered India’s unshakeable home fortress has crumbled, and fans are furious.

From spin-heavy pitches backfiring to constant chopping and changing of the playing XI, Gambhir’s strategies have been hammered from every direction. The No. 3 position, once sacred, has been tossed around like a rotating seat on a reality show. Add the retirements of Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ashwin, all during this confusing identity-crisis era, and the fan anger has turned volcanic.

Indian supporters, now trapped in a mix of heartbreak and comedy, have blamed the pitch, the breaks, the tea, the coaching, and even the scaffolding around the stadium. Anything and everything, except South Africa simply being the better side.

While South Africans celebrate their historic win, Indian fans have found solace in sarcasm, with trending jokes revolving around tea, Gambhir, collapses, and “bring back the old India.” The loss hurts, the tea jokes sting, but the saltiness is top-tier entertainment.

One thing is certain: if India doesn’t fix its Test cricket crisis, the memes will only get stronger, and the tea may just continue to take the fall.