The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 loss to the Proteas in the just finished Test series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, South Africa gave India a record loss in Test cricket, defying expectations. It marked South Africa's first series win in the subcontinent in 25 years and India's second defeat at home in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum gained during the previous half-year has largely dissipated and the careers of multiple squad members - as well as team coach Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.
Initial Hope Disappears
The emerging side's impressive performance in the UK this season, under a different skipper, suggested a smooth transition post the near-simultaneous exits of key players R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 win over the Windies at the commencement of the home campaign boosted that belief, till the Proteas arrived to deliver a fell blow.
India were a bit unlucky that leader Gill got injured early on in the initial match and took no further part in the contest. Yet that fails to account for the team of the terribly sub-par performance in both Tests against the opposition.
Several established players took a hit, and several players aspiring to extended tenures in Tests were exposed as not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the format.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second clean sweep on home soil experienced by the Indian team in just over a year. In 2024, underestimated New Zealand had secured a staggering 3-0 win which practically cost India a place in the Test championship finale.
The fresh failure to the Proteas could damage the team's prospects of qualifying for the decider of this edition also.
After being third in the WTC rankings before the series, India have dropped to number five. Though nine additional matches are yet to be played, five of these are against the Aussies. Usually, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - even when facing the powerful Australians. However the debacles against the Kiwis and South Africa provide no basis for such comfort.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's frailty in the longer format has been clearly revealed. Nevertheless, the reason the team have fared so badly in Tests at home in recent times is still bewildering.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were seen as impregnable in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that assisted spinners and benefited their players, India dominated all comers. The odd series defeat, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was considered an anomaly.
Now, India appear to be easy pickings in their own backyard.
Against the Kiwis in last year and South Africa this year, India were beaten at their own game. The surfaces they developed to favor their game failed miserably, as the opposition capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it was most crucial.
What's Gone Wrong?
Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is struggling in home conditions because home surfaces have been modified from spinning tracks to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to succeed overseas.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers play, has removed the mystery and hardship subcontinental pitches would pose to them earlier.
While there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it does not clarify why the side's results at home have seen such a staggering decline.
Various Shortcomings
Many past stars point to a complex, multi-headed problem, not just a few causes.
Critics and players have identified various flaws post the team's humiliating loss to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, inadequate readiness, poor choices, overconfidence, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and prioritising white-ball over the longer format.
This was evident in the showings of the team.
Cricketers such as Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their place in the team - fell short in ability and attitude, paying a heavy price for their lackadaisical method.
Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Leadership Under Fire
The post-mortem didn't spare not only the cricketers - selectors and support staff were also criticized, spurred on by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the criticism was team coach Gambhir.
At his post-series press
