India's surprising 0-2 series loss to the Proteas in the recently concluded red-ball series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, South Africa handed India a record defeat in terms of runs, defying expectations. It marked the Proteas' initial series triumph in the subcontinent in a quarter-century and India's another home failure in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The momentum gained during the previous half-year has largely dissipated and the prospects of several players - as well as team coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
Initial Hope Vanishes
The new-look squad's commendable display in the UK this season, under a fresh leadership, pointed to a seamless changeover post the close together retirements of key players R Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 win over West Indies at the start of the domestic season strengthened that view, till the Proteas turned up and handed out a fell blow.
India were a tad unfortunate that captain Shubman Gill suffered an injury quickly in the opening Test and took no further part in the series. But that neither explains nor absolves the side of the well below standard performance in each match against the opposition.
Some big reputations suffered, and a few members aspiring to extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be still inadequate - in ability or temperament - for the Test cricket.
Worrying Trend
This represented the second clean sweep in home conditions endured by India in just more than a year. In 2024, underestimated New Zealand had secured a remarkable 3-0 victory which essentially denied the hosts a spot in the Test championship finale.
The fresh failure to the Proteas risks harming the team's prospects of making the decider of this cycle too.
After being third in the WTC table ahead of the matches, India have fallen to number five. Although nine additional matches are remaining, half of these are against the Aussies. Typically, playing at home would be a major plus - even against the strong Australian side. But the failures against New Zealand and the Proteas provide no basis for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's vulnerability in the longer format has been clearly revealed. However, the reason India have performed so poorly in Tests on home soil lately is remains puzzling.
In the 21st century, India were considered invincible in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on pitches that helped spin and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India faced little challenge. A rare failure, like in 2012-13 against the English, was considered an anomaly.
Now, the team appear to be beatable on home turf.
Versus New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa this year, India were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they developed to favor their game failed miserably, as opponents capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is failing in home conditions because domestic pitches have been changed from spinning tracks to fast tracks to train the squad to do well overseas.
Others highlight that the IPL, in which many overseas players take part, has removed the unfamiliarity and challenge home wickets would pose to them in the past.
While there is validity in these views, it still does not explain the reason the side's results on home soil have seen such a dramatic drop.
Various Shortcomings
Many past stars identify a multi-faceted challenge, not limited to a few causes.
Critics and players have pointed to multiple deficiencies post India's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, lack of preparation, flawed selections, overconfidence, regular alterations of the playing XI, and favoring white-ball over the longer format.
This was obvious in the displays of the side.
Players such as Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, were punished for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - came up short in ability and attitude, facing the fallout for their nonchalant approach.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Coaching Scrutiny
The post-mortem also included not only the cricketers - selectors and coaching staff were also criticized, fuelled by disappointed supporters and critical former players. At the centre of the criticism was mentor Gambhir.
In his post-series press
