India's surprising 0-2 series loss to the Proteas in the just finished red-ball series has left the team reeling.
Just days ago, the visiting team gave India a record loss in Test cricket, against all odds. This represented the Proteas' maiden series victory in India in 25 years and India's another home failure in just 12 months after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The positive trajectory gained during the last several months has all but vanished and the careers of several players - including team coach the coach - are under scrutiny.
Initial Hope Fades Quickly
The emerging side's commendable display in the UK this summer, under a different skipper, suggested a smooth transition post the almost concurrent exits of stalwarts R Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 win over West Indies at the commencement of the home campaign boosted that belief, till the Proteas turned up and handed out a fell blow.
India were a tad unfortunate that skipper Shubman Gill suffered an injury early on in the first Test and took no further part in the series. But that fails to account for the side of the well below standard performance in both Tests against the opposition.
Several established players took a hit, and a few members aspiring to lengthy Test careers were exposed as not yet good enough - technically or mentally - for the format.
A Troubling Pattern
This was the second whitewash on home soil suffered by India in just over a year. In 2024, underestimated New Zealand had achieved a remarkable 3-0 win which essentially denied India a place in the Test championship finale.
The fresh failure to South Africa could damage India's chances of making the decider of this cycle as well.
Previously ranked third in the WTC rankings ahead of the matches, the side have been relegated to the fifth spot. Though nine further games are yet to be played, five of these are against the Aussies. Typically, competing on home turf would be a major plus - even when facing the powerful Australians. However the debacles against the Kiwis and South Africa offer no room for such assurance.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's weakness in the longer format has been badly exposed. That said, the reason the team have fared so badly in Test matches at home lately is still bewildering.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were seen as invincible in Test cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, the hosts dominated all comers. The occasional loss, such as in 2012-13 against England, was considered an exception.
Today, the team look to be beatable on home turf.
Versus New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa currently, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The surfaces they developed to favor their game backfired spectacularly, as opponents used them more effectively, surpassing the Indian batters and bowlers when it was most crucial.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that India is failing at home because local wickets have been altered from spinning tracks to quick wickets to prepare players to do well abroad.
Some point out that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars participate, has taken away the surprise and difficulty home wickets would challenge them with earlier.
While there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it still does not explain why the team's showings at home have experienced such a dramatic drop.
Various Shortcomings
The majority of ex-cricketers diagnose a complex, multi-headed problem, not limited to a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have pointed to multiple deficiencies after India's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, poor choices, overconfidence, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and emphasizing limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was clear in the showings of the squad.
Members such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, paid for their nonchalance, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their spot in the side - fell short in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.
A small number - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but inadequately to claim wins.
Management Questions
The post-mortem targeted not only the cricketers - team selectors and support staff were also under fire, driven by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. At the centre of the examination was mentor Gambhir.
At his post-series press
