The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the just finished red-ball series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, the visiting team gave India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, defying expectations. It was South Africa's initial series triumph in India in a quarter-century and India's second home series loss in just a year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum established in the previous half-year has largely dissipated and the careers of several players - as well as team coach the coach - are under scrutiny.
A Promising Start Fades Quickly
The young team's impressive performance in England this season, under a different skipper, pointed to a smooth transition after the close together departures of key players Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the beginning of the home season strengthened that view, till the Proteas turned up and handed out a devastating defeat.
India were somewhat unlucky that skipper Shubman Gill got injured quickly in the opening Test and was ruled out in the series. However, that neither explains nor absolves the side of the terribly sub-par performance in each match against South Africa.
Some big reputations were damaged, and a few members hoping for long red-ball careers were shown as still inadequate - in skill or mindset - for the format.
Worrying Trend
This represented the second series sweep in home conditions experienced by India in just over a year. In 2024, little-fancied New Zealand had achieved a remarkable 3-0 victory which essentially denied India a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The recent defeat to South Africa threatens to derail India's prospects of making the showpiece of this season as well.
From number three in the WTC table prior to the contest, the side have dropped to number five. Even though nine further games are yet to be played, five of these are against the Aussies. Typically, playing at home would be a huge advantage - even against the mighty Aussies. Yet the disasters against New Zealand and the Proteas offer no room for such comfort.
Roots of the Decline
India's vulnerability in Test cricket has been clearly revealed. However, why the team have struggled so much in Tests at home lately is still bewildering.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were considered unbeatable in Test cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on tracks that favored spin bowling and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India faced little challenge. A rare failure, such as in the 2012-13 season against the English, was viewed as an anomaly.
Currently, the team seem beatable at home.
Facing the Kiwis in last year and South Africa this year, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The pitches they curated to suit their strengths failed miserably, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
What Happened?
Certain analysts propose that India is struggling at home because domestic pitches have been changed from turners to fast tracks to prepare players to perform better abroad.
A few mention that the domestic T20 league, in which many overseas players participate, has removed the mystery and hardship home wickets would challenge them with earlier.
Even though there is validity in these views, it still does not explain the reason the side's results at home have experienced such a sharp fall.
Several Weaknesses
Most former players diagnose a complicated issue, not only a couple of reasons.
Critics and players have pointed to several failings after the team's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, overconfidence, regular alterations of the starting eleven, and prioritising limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the displays of the team.
Members such as Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their spot in the side - came up short in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their casual attitude.
Just a few - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - fulfilled their skill and fame - but not well enough to claim wins.
Coaching Scrutiny
The post-mortem also included just the players - selectors and support staff were also criticized, driven by distraught fans and vocal past stars. At the centre of the scrutiny was mentor Gambhir.
At his post-series press
