India's surprising 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the just finished Test series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, South Africa inflicted upon India a record Test defeat by runs, against all odds. It marked South Africa's initial series triumph in the subcontinent in 25 years and India's second home series loss in just a year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum established in the last several months has largely dissipated and the careers of several players - as well as head coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
Initial Hope Disappears
The young team's impressive performance in England this summer, under a different skipper, suggested a successful handover following the near-simultaneous retirements of key players Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 victory over the Windies at the commencement of the home season enhanced that perception, till the South Africans arrived to deliver a devastating defeat.
India were a bit unlucky that skipper Gill got injured quickly in the initial match and did not participate again in the series. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the highly disappointing performance in each match against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers were damaged, and multiple individuals hoping for long red-ball careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - technically or mentally - for the Test cricket.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second whitewash in home conditions endured by India in just over a year. In 2024, underestimated New Zealand had achieved a remarkable 3-0 victory which practically cost the hosts a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The latest loss to South Africa threatens to derail the team's prospects of reaching the showpiece of this season too.
From number three in the Test championship standings before the series, India have been relegated to fifth place. Though nine further games are still to come, half of these are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, playing at home would be a huge advantage - including against the powerful Australians. However the disasters against the Kiwis and the Proteas leave little scope for such comfort.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's frailty in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. However, why the team have fared so badly in Tests at home in recent times is continues to confuse.
Since the turn of the century, India were seen as unbeatable in red-ball cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India brooked no opposition. A rare failure, like in 2012-13 against England, was considered an anomaly.
Today, India appear to be easy pickings in their own backyard.
Versus the Kiwis in last year and South Africa this year, India were defeated by their own tactics. The pitches they developed to help their style backfired spectacularly, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, outplaying the home team's players when it was most crucial.
What Happened?
A few experts argue that India is struggling at home because home surfaces have been changed from turners to fast tracks to train the squad to succeed overseas.
Others highlight that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars play, has taken away the mystery and hardship Indian conditions would challenge them with in the past.
Even though there is validity in each argument, it fails to account for the reason the team's showings on home soil have seen such a sharp fall.
Several Weaknesses
Many past stars diagnose a complicated issue, not limited to a few causes.
Experts and participants have highlighted multiple deficiencies following the team's humiliating loss to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, inadequate readiness, questionable picks, overconfidence, regular alterations of the starting eleven, and emphasizing white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was clear in the showings of the side.
Players like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, suffered for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their position in the squad - came up short in ability and attitude, paying a heavy price for their lackadaisical method.
A small number - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to win matches.
Coaching Scrutiny
The analysis also included not only the cricketers - selectors and support staff were also criticized, spurred on by distraught fans and critical former players. At the centre of the criticism was team coach Gambhir.
In his post-series press
