India's shocking 0-2 loss to South Africa in the just finished Test series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, the visiting team inflicted upon India a record defeat in terms of runs, against all odds. This represented South Africa's initial series triumph in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and India's another home failure in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The positive trajectory established in the previous half-year has almost disappeared and the prospects of several players - as well as head coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
Initial Hope Fades Quickly
The emerging side's strong showing in England this season, under a new captain, suggested a successful handover after the close together retirements of veterans Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 win over West Indies at the beginning of the home season strengthened that view, till the Proteas came and inflicted a fell blow.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that skipper Shubman Gill was injured very early in the first Test and took no further part in the contest. But that neither explains nor absolves the team of the highly disappointing display in each match against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers were damaged, and a few members aspiring to extended tenures in Tests were exposed as not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the format.
Concerning History
This represented the second series sweep in home conditions suffered by India in just a year. In 2024, little-fancied New Zealand had pulled off a staggering 3-0 triumph which essentially denied India a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to South Africa threatens to derail the team's prospects of reaching the showpiece of this cycle as well.
From number three in the Test championship standings ahead of the matches, India have fallen to the fifth spot. Although nine more Tests are still to come, a majority are against Australia. Usually, playing at home would be a huge advantage - including against the strong Australian side. But the disasters against New Zealand and the Proteas provide no basis for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
India's frailty in the longer format has been badly exposed. Nevertheless, the reason India have fared so badly in Test matches at home 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 helped spin and aided their squad, India faced little challenge. The odd series defeat, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was viewed as an aberration.
Currently, the team seem vulnerable on home turf.
Versus the Kiwis in 2024 and the Proteas this year, India were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they developed to suit their strengths went wrong completely, as the opposition exploited them better, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that the Indian team is floundering in home conditions because local wickets have been altered from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to perform better overseas.
Some point out that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars play, has taken away the mystery and hardship home wickets would pose to them in the past.
Although there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it still does not explain why the side's results on home soil have experienced such a dramatic drop.
Various Shortcomings
Most former players diagnose a multi-faceted challenge, not just a few causes.
Critics and players have identified various flaws following the team's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, poor preparation, questionable picks, arrogance, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and prioritising white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was clear in the showings of the side.
Players like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, paid for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were aiming to establish their spot in the side - fell short in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.
Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their skill and fame - but not well enough to claim wins.
Management Questions
The post-mortem also included the entire setup - selectors and support staff were also under fire, spurred on by distraught fans and critical former players. Under focus of the examination was mentor Gambhir.
In his post-series press
