India's shocking 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recently concluded Test series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, South Africa gave India a record defeat in terms of runs, against all odds. This represented South Africa's first series win in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and India's another home failure in just one year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The momentum built over the past six months has almost disappeared and the careers of several players - including head mentor Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.
Early Optimism Fades Quickly
The new-look squad's commendable display in England this season, under a different skipper, suggested a smooth transition following the close together retirements of stalwarts Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 win over West Indies at the start of the domestic season enhanced that perception, before the South Africans arrived to deliver a devastating defeat.
The home side were a bit unlucky that leader Shubman Gill was injured early on in the opening Test and did not participate again in the contest. But that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the terribly sub-par showing in the two games against the opposition.
Several established players took a hit, and multiple individuals hoping for lengthy Test careers were exposed as not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the format.
Concerning History
It was the second whitewash at home endured by India in just a year. In 2024, underestimated New Zealand had secured a surprising 3-0 win which essentially denied the hosts a berth in the WTC final.
The recent defeat to the Proteas risks harming the team's prospects of reaching the decider of this season too.
From number three in the WTC table ahead of the matches, the side have dropped to the fifth spot. Although nine more Tests are remaining, half of these are against Australia. Ordinarily, performing in familiar conditions would be a significant benefit - even when facing the powerful Australians. Yet the debacles against the Kiwis and the Proteas leave little scope for that confidence.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's frailty in Test cricket has been badly exposed. However, why the team have fared so badly in Tests on home soil in recent times is continues to confuse.
In the 21st century, India were considered impregnable in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that assisted spinners and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts brooked no opposition. The odd series defeat, such as in the 2012-13 season against the English, was considered an exception.
Today, India seem beatable on home turf.
Versus New Zealand in 2024 and the Proteas currently, India were hoisted by their own petard. The tracks they developed to suit their strengths backfired spectacularly, as the opposition used them more effectively, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that India is floundering at home because local wickets have been changed from turners to pace-friendly pitches to prepare players to perform better abroad.
Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars participate, has reduced the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would challenge them with earlier.
Although there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it does not clarify why the side's results at home have witnessed such a dramatic drop.
Various Shortcomings
Most former players identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not limited to a few causes.
Experts and participants have highlighted multiple deficiencies following India's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, poor choices, arrogance, frequent changes of the playing XI, and favoring white-ball over the longer format.
This was evident in the performances of the side.
Members like Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, were punished for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their spot in the side - fell short in technique and temperament, facing the fallout for their nonchalant approach.
Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to win matches.
Leadership Under Fire
The analysis also included not only the cricketers - selectors and backroom team were also under fire, spurred on by distraught fans and vocal past stars. Under focus of the examination was mentor Gambhir.
At his post-series press
