The Indian cricket team's unexpected 0-2 loss to South Africa in the recently concluded red-ball series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, the visiting team handed India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, defying expectations. This represented the Proteas' initial series triumph in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and the host nation's another home failure in just 12 months after a 12-year invincible streak.
The positive trajectory built over the last several months has almost disappeared and the careers of multiple squad members - as well as head coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
Early Optimism Disappears
The young team's commendable display in England this summer, under a new captain, suggested a smooth transition after the near-simultaneous retirements of veterans R Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 win over West Indies at the commencement of the home campaign enhanced that perception, before the South Africans came and inflicted a crushing loss.
India were somewhat unlucky that skipper Shubman Gill was injured quickly in the opening Test and took no further part in the series. Yet that fails to account for the squad of the highly disappointing performance in each match against South Africa.
Several established players were damaged, and several players hoping for lengthy Test careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.
Worrying Trend
It was the second series sweep in home conditions endured by the Indian team in just more than a year. In 2024, little-fancied New Zealand had achieved a staggering 3-0 triumph which practically cost India a berth in the Test championship finale.
The latest loss to the Proteas threatens to derail the team's chances of qualifying for the decider of this cycle also.
From number three in the WTC table ahead of the matches, India have fallen to the fifth spot. Though nine additional matches are still to come, five of these are against Australia. Ordinarily, playing at home would be a huge advantage - including against the strong Australian side. But the debacles against New Zealand and South Africa leave little scope for such comfort.
Causes of the Fall
India's vulnerability in Test cricket has been clearly revealed. However, why India have performed so poorly in Tests on home soil lately is still bewildering.
Since the turn of the century, India were seen as invincible in Test cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on surfaces that helped spin and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts brooked no opposition. The occasional loss, such as in the 2012-13 season against the English, was seen as an aberration.
Today, the team seem vulnerable on home turf.
Versus the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas this year, India were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they curated to favor their game failed miserably, as opponents capitalized on them more skillfully, outplaying the home team's players when it counted the most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Some suggest that India is struggling in home conditions because home surfaces have been modified from turners to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to succeed abroad.
Some point out that the IPL, in which many overseas players participate, has removed the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would pose to them earlier.
While there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it does not clarify why India's performances at home have seen such a sharp fall.
Several Weaknesses
Most former players diagnose a complex, multi-headed problem, not only a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have highlighted several failings after the team's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, lack of preparation, flawed selections, overconfidence, regular alterations of the team lineup, and prioritising white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was evident in the displays of the team.
Cricketers like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, were punished for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - came up short in ability and attitude, facing the fallout for their casual attitude.
A small number - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to win matches.
Management Questions
The analysis targeted just the players - team selectors and support staff were also criticized, driven by distraught fans and critical former players. Under focus of the examination was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
