The Indian cricket team's unexpected 0-2 loss to South Africa in the recent red-ball series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, South Africa gave India a record loss in Test cricket, against all odds. It was the Proteas' first series win in India in two and a half decades and the host nation's second home series loss in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The momentum built over the last several months has all but vanished and the careers of a number of cricketers - including head mentor the coach - are now uncertain.
Early Optimism Disappears
The young team's impressive performance in England this summer, under a different skipper, indicated a seamless changeover after the close together retirements of veterans R Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 win over the Windies at the commencement of the domestic season strengthened that view, before the South Africans came and inflicted a crushing loss.
The home side were a bit unlucky that leader Shubman Gill was injured early on in the first Test and was ruled out in the contest. But that does not excuse or justify the squad of the highly disappointing showing in both Tests against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers suffered, and multiple individuals hoping for extended tenures in Tests were exposed as not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second clean sweep in home conditions endured by the Indian team in just more than a year. In 2024, underestimated the Kiwis had achieved a staggering 3-0 victory which effectively cost the hosts a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The latest loss to the Proteas could damage the team's prospects of making the decider of this season as well.
Previously ranked third in the Test championship standings ahead of the matches, the side have been relegated to number five. Although nine more Tests are still to come, five of these are against Australia. Typically, performing in familiar conditions would be a major plus - including against the powerful Australians. But the failures against New Zealand and South Africa leave little scope for that confidence.
Reasons for the Slump
India's vulnerability in red-ball cricket has been badly exposed. However, the reason the team have struggled so much in Tests at home recently is still bewildering.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were considered impregnable in Test cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on pitches that assisted spinners and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts brooked no opposition. A rare failure, like in 2012-13 against the English, was viewed as an anomaly.
Currently, India seem vulnerable on home turf.
Against the Kiwis in 2024 and the Proteas currently, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they curated to favor their game failed miserably, as rivals exploited them better, outplaying India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is floundering at home because home surfaces have been altered from turners to fast tracks to prepare players to succeed overseas.
Others highlight that the domestic T20 league, in which numerous foreign cricketers play, has reduced the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would pose to them earlier.
While there is some truth in these views, it fails to account for why India's performances on home soil have experienced such a sharp fall.
Multiple Failings
The majority of ex-cricketers diagnose a complicated issue, not just one or two factors.
Analysts and squad members have highlighted several failings following India's disappointing performance to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, lack of preparation, poor choices, arrogance, regular alterations of the starting eleven, and prioritising white-ball over Test cricket.
This was obvious in the performances of the squad.
Cricketers like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - came up short in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.
A small number - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their skill and fame - but inadequately to win matches.
Management Questions
The analysis didn't spare not only the cricketers - selectors and coaching staff were also questioned, driven by distraught fans and critical former players. Under focus of the examination was head coach Gambhir.
At his post-series press
